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Morning Edition · Friday, June 12, 2026Published at 6:11 AM EDT · New York
Russia and Ukraine Trade Overnight Strikes as Energy War Grinds On
Ukraine reported a large Russian drone barrage on Kyiv and Mykolaiv, while Russian-aligned authorities said dozens of Ukrainian drones were downed over occupied regions.
Russian drone strikes hit several locations across Ukraine overnight into Friday, damaging sites near Kyiv and in the Mykolaiv region, injuring one person and starting a major fire, Euronews reported. Ukrainian air defenses said they intercepted most of the 117 drones launched.
Russian state media described attacks moving in the other direction. RIA Novosti reported that air defenses shot down 22 Ukrainian attack drones over the Kherson region, and TASS said explosions were heard in the Zaporizhzhia region with air-raid alerts active in the Kyiv-controlled part of that territory.
The exchange illustrates the sustained campaign each side now wages against the other's territory and infrastructure. Ukraine has focused much of its long-range effort on Russian refineries and logistics to pressure Moscow's oil revenue, while Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's power grid and cities.
The fighting continues while the Iran negotiations absorb Washington's attention, and amid signs that the United States is reducing its military presence in Europe even as the war continues on European territory.
Veracity: Corroborated
80/100- If true, who benefits
Each defense ministry, which publicizes its interception rate and the adversary's aggression while staying quiet about damage it absorbed.
- The nuance
Ukraine's tally of 102 of 117 drones downed is independently reported, but Russia's claims over Kherson and Zaporizhzhia come only from TASS and RIA Novosti, and neither side discloses its own losses.
An open-source-intelligence read of how likely this story is true with its real nuance, not a judgment of any outlet. It assesses the claim, weighing independent and adversarial reporting. How we label confidence.
What this means
The drone war is now a contest over economic capacity as much as territory, with Ukraine aiming at the refineries that fund Russia's budget and Russia striking the infrastructure that keeps Ukraine functioning. Each successful hit on energy assets feeds back into global oil and gas prices, linking the conflict directly to inflation far from the front.
What to watch
Synthesized from: Euronews · RIA Novosti · TASS
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