Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has approved a new 40-day intelligence operation aimed at increasing pressure on Russia to engage seriously in peace negotiations.
Zelensky announced the decision on Thursday, emphasizing that the new Ukrainian intelligence initiative is part of Kyiv’s broader strategy to strengthen its negotiating position. The Ukrainian president made the announcement via social media following a meeting with the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, without providing further details. He described drone strikes on Russian military installations, weapons facilities, and oil and gas infrastructure as “extended sanctions.”
Report by Major General Yevhenii Khmara on our long-range sanctions plan, mid-range sanctions, and the results of the Security Service of Ukraine – specifically the Center of Special Operations “Alpha” – on the front.
I approved a 40-day influence operation for the Service… pic.twitter.com/Ue6O21i6xH
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 25, 2026
The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are currently occupied with other matters, but expects contacts with them regarding Ukraine to resume once those commitments are concluded. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the statement in response to a question about whether other envoys might be involved in the Ukraine talks, given that Witkoff and Kushner have other obligations. Both officials are participating in the American negotiating team for talks aimed at reaching a final agreement to end the war with Iran.
These statements follow accusations by Russian officials that the United States is not honoring the “agreements” they claim were reached between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at the Anchorage summit last August. Russian officials frequently refer to the so-called “spirit of Anchorage” — a term that, according to analysts, describes the Russian version of a potential deal under which Ukrainian forces would withdraw from the parts of the Donbas not yet occupied, in exchange for a freezing of front lines elsewhere. Kyiv has repeatedly made clear that it will not cede any of its territory to Russia.
Major energy crisis in Crimea
Power outages continue in Sevastopol, the largest city in Russian-controlled Crimea, following repeated and intensified Ukrainian strikes on the peninsula. The Kremlin-appointed governor of the city, Mikhail Razvozhaev, stated on Thursday that restrictions have been imposed across the entire region and urged residents to reduce electricity consumption in order to ease pressure on the grid. Commander of Ukrainian drone forces Robert Brovdi reported that Kyiv struck Sevastopol’s main power substation seven times during the early morning hours of Wednesday.
❗️A state of emergency has been introduced in the temporarily occupied Crimea and Sevastopol, — gauleiter Aksyonov pic.twitter.com/oPR3k8Oic4
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) June 26, 2026
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, a move widely condemned by the international community, following the Maidan protests that ousted then pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. The port city of Sevastopol has historically served as the home base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
❗️On the night of June 25, the Birds of the 🇺🇦Unmanned Systems Forces struck 38 targets in occupied Crimea.
Destroyed or damaged were three coastal radars (an МР-231 in Myrny, Neva-B radars in Morskoye and Zaozernoye), the Tavriyska Thermal Power Plant in Simferopol, two key… pic.twitter.com/m4E9c9cMTY
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) June 25, 2026
Volodymyr Zelensky stated in 2019 that his goal was to reclaim control of Crimea, a position that has been reinforced following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its military operations in the region as part of a broader effort to increase pressure on the Kremlin. This campaign has disrupted daily life on the peninsula, resulting in frequent drone attacks, a ban on the sale of natural gas to ordinary citizens, and the suspension of summer camps for children.
