Overview
- A Ukrainian drone hit the Kupol Electromechanical Plant in Izhevsk on July 1, killing three people and injuring dozens at a key facility for Russian air defense systems and combat drones.
- Russia’s Defense Ministry said it downed 60 Ukrainian drones overnight over Crimea, Rostov and Saratov regions in response to Kyiv’s deep-strike operation.
- Moscow launched a record 5,438 long-range drones at Ukraine in June, while Ukrainian air defenses raised their intercept rate from 81 percent in May to 86 percent in June.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered a major expansion of domestic production for interceptor and long-range strike drones to sustain Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
- Peace talks remain stalled as both sides deepen their unmanned aerial campaigns, turning the war into a technology-driven arms race.