Russian air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones in a major nighttime attack on 12 Russian regions as well as Crimea, the Black Sea and the Azov Sea, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday.

It appeared to be one of the biggest drone attacks on Russian regions since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.

Russian state media TASS said it was the largest attack this year.

The major attack came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that he had ordered “a 40-day influence operation,” believed to mean an escalation of attacks, aimed at “compelling (Russia) to end the war” after U.S. peace efforts over the past year yielded no breakthrough, Associated Press reported.

In the Tula region just south of Moscow, a private house was damaged by the attack and a woman was wounded, Tula Gov. Dmitry Milyaev said in an online statement as reports of damage caused by the attack began to emerge.

He also said a power line was damaged and an unspecified industrial facility in the city of Novomoskovsk.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin also reported that 47 Ukrainian drones were downed as they flew toward the Russian capital. He did not report any casualties or damage.

Meanwhile, Ukraine said 2 civilians were killed in Russian attacks.

Two people were killed and seven others injured in Russian attacks on the northeastern Kharkiv region over the previous 24 hours, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said Friday.

Russian forces struck the city of Kharkiv and 16 other settlements across the region using guided aerial bombs and drones of various types, Syniehubov said.

Ukraine’s Defense Forces overnight stopped 174 of 189 Russian drones, the Ukrainian air force said. However, four of seven Iskander-M ballistic missiles that were fired got through air defenses and struck various locations, it said.

Russian authorities in Crimea declared a state of emergency on the peninsula on Friday to address economic disruptions, following the suspension of tourism and children’s summer camps and a halt to all fuel sales after Ukrainian attacks.

Russian authorities said the emergency situation would facilitate decision-making to ensure the stable operations of all sectors on which the livelihood of the population depends.

Sergei Aksyonov, the head of Crimea’s Russian administration, did not provide details on what the measure would mean in practice.

In recent months, Ukraine has been ‌pounding ⁠energy and other targets in Russia to undermine Moscow’s military capabilities and its finances while also trying to cut it off from Crimea, which Russia took over ⁠from Ukraine in 2014.

The drone attacks are worsening fuel shortages, with people reporting rising prices and long queues at ⁠the filling stations.

Kyiv considers Crimea to be sovereign Ukrainian territory that was illegally occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014. The Ukrainian government does not recognize Russia’s control over the peninsula and has repeatedly stated that Crimea should be returned to Ukraine. Moscow views the peninsula as Russian territory following a disputed 2014 referendum.

The death toll from a pair of earthquakes that struck Venezuela has risen to 589, acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced on Friday, as she welcomed the arrival of rescue crews from all over the world, AP reported.

“We are going to rescue the people who are trapped,” she said. “We are working tirelessly on this task.”

She said the state of La Guaira has been hardest hit by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that struck Wednesday evening, noting that it has been militarized as crews search for survivors and distribute food and water.

The number of casualties is expected to climb with thousands reported missing and frantic rescue efforts continuing.

The quakes have left thousands injured and caused widespread destruction.

South Korea’s former First Lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced on Friday to seven years in jail for receiving bribes, after a court found her guilty of accepting luxury items such as jewellery and a Dior handbag in exchange for political favours, Reuters reported.

The wife of ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol – who was ousted in 2025 following his failed attempt to ⁠impose martial law – received the bribes before and during his presidency, the lead judge at the Seoul Central District Court said.

“She exercised her power as first lady to offer jobs and business favours,” the judge said, citing her willingness to use her influence to help people obtain key government or parliamentary posts.

“She received without any hesitation those bribes, which ordinary people would hardly encounter during their lives.”

The list of bribes included jewellery such as a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, a Tiffany brooch and a pair of Graff earrings, the judge said.

Kim also received a gold turtle, a Dior handbag, a Vacheron Constantin watch worth 39 million won ($25,349.86) and a painting worth 140 million won, ‌he ⁠said.

The judge said the actions of the former first lady seriously hurt public trust in the fairness of public appointments.

Those who gave her bribes included a construction company owner who sought a government post for his son-in-law, a pastor seeking to expand his network with high-ranking officials, the former head of a private university and the chief executive of a robotic dog retailer ⁠who wanted to supply products to the presidential security team, the judge said.

The court also fined Kim 64.8 million won and ordered the confiscation of items given as bribes if they could be located.

Kim has denied all the charges. Her lawyer told ⁠reporters she would appeal the ruling, accusing the judge of exaggerating evidence unfavourable to Kim, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

The former first lady is currently in jail after being found guilty on charges of stock manipulation and receiving ⁠bribes from South Korea’s Unification Church. She was sentenced to four years in jail on these charges in April. Her husband Yoon was sentenced to life in prison in February for masterminding an insurrection tied to his short-lived imposition of martial law in 2024.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has formally notified Congress of its intention to sell dozens of jet ‌engines worth more than $700 million to Türkiye, according to a copy of the formal notification seen by Reuters.

Reuters was first to report on Wednesday that the Trump administration planned to press ahead with the sale despite objections from some lawmakers over Türkiye’s possession of Russian defense systems, acquired in 2019.

“The U.S. government is prepared to license the export of these items having taken into account political, military, economic, human rights, and arms control considerations,” the State Department said in its notification to Congress, which was dated June 24. 

The sale is an important gesture to Ankara ahead of a ⁠pivotal NATO summit there next month and to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, whom Trump considers a key ally, according to Reuters.

Congress has 15 days to introduce a joint resolution of disapproval if it wants to block the sale. Such a resolution would need to pass in both chambers and could be vetoed by Trump.

Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee and a prominent critic of the engine sale, had raised objections during an informal review process with the administration and has not given his green light for the package, two sources, including a U.S. official, told Reuters.

In a statement on Wednesday, Meeks criticized what he described as the administration’s failure to make a “good-faith” effort to brief him on the implications of the sale for bilateral ties as well as Türkiye’s possession of the S-400s.

Asked on Wednesday about the jet engines, the F-35 program and his plans for the summit in Ankara, Trump said: “I’m going to probably do something that will make them very happy.”

The engines, produced by General Electric, will power Türkiye’s first indigenous combat jet KAAN, a major project launched in 2016 as part of the NATO member’s efforts to be more self-sufficient in its defense. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar plans to propose a cabinet resolution on Sunday to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.

In a post on X, he said the resolution would subsequently be brought before the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, for a vote.

“I will bring before the Israeli government at its next meeting a proposed resolution for the official recognition by the Government of Israel of the Armenian Genocide. Recognizing the genocide perpetrated against the Armenian people in the final years of the Ottoman Empire is both a moral and historical duty. We must also firmly condemn any denial, minimization, or distortion of the historical truth. The resolution will subsequently be brought before the Knesset for a vote,” the Israeli FM said.

The Armenian team defeated Andorra 63–54 in a group-stage game at the 2026 FIBA Women’s European Championship for Small Countries to qualify for the semifinals.

Lia Krumian was named Player of the Game after recording 25 points, 7 rebounds, and shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range, the Basketball Federation of Armenia said on Facebook.

Armenia will face Malta in the semifinals on June 27.

On June 25, Armenian Ambassador to the United States Narek Mkrtchyan and Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg signed the Joint Statement on AI Opportunity Partnership at the Donald Trump U.S. Institute of Peace.

The statement was signed within the framework of the Pax Silica Summit.

This important partnership reflects the shared commitment of both countries to building a trustworthy, innovation-driven AI future that promotes prosperity, economic security, and technological advancement, the Armenian Embassy to the U.S. said in a press release.

It is based on three key priorities:

Promoting Pro-innovation Regulation

Supporting policies and stakeholders that encourage AI innovation, investment, entrepreneurship, and the secure testing, deployment, and scaling of trustworthy AI ecosystems.

Strengthening Broad AI Cooperation

Deepening collaboration on future AI supply chains, including energy infrastructure, critical minerals, skilled workforce development, and resilient semiconductor supply chains.

Mobilizing Private Industry

Expanding venture capital and technology investments, fostering research and development partnerships, supporting next-generation data centers, improving access to AI computing capacity, advancing the development of trustworthy AI models, and pursuing other related initiatives.

Through this partnership, Armenia and the United States aim to build an AI-driven future that serves both nations, strengthens their economies, and reflects their shared values of entrepreneurship, innovation, and the rule of law.

The Joint Statement on AI Opportunity Partnership was also signed by member states and other countries invited as observers.

Türkiye’s Special Representative for Normalization with Armenia, Serdar Kılıç, has extended congratulations to his Armenian counterpart, Ruben Rubinyan, on securing a nomination for Speaker of Parliament in the next legislature.

Rubinyan, a senior member of the ruling Civil Contract party who is currently Vice Speaker in the outgoing parliament and Armenia’s Special Representative for Normalization with Türkiye, was on Thursday chosen by the party board as candidate for Speaker of Parliament in the next legislature, which will be formed as a result of the recent elections.

“I congratulate my counterpart in the process of normalization of Türkiye–Armenia relations Ruben Rubinyan on his election as Speaker of the Armenian Parliament. Over the past four years, we have developed an effective working culture and a sincere friendship. I wish him continued success in his new position,” Kılıç said in a post on X.

Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan congratulated Vice Speaker and fellow Civil Contract party member Ruben Rubinyan on his nomination as Speaker in the next legislature.

“I congratulate my colleague Ruben Rubinyan on being selected by the board of the Civil Contract party as the candidate for Speaker of the 9th convocation of the National Assembly. I am confident that he will honorably continue the work we started together for the Republic of Armenia,” Simonyan said in a post on social media.

Rubinyan, a senior member of the ruling Civil Contract party who is currently Vice Speaker in the outgoing parliament and Armenia’s Special Representative for Normalization with Türkiye, was on Thursday chosen by the party board as a candidate for Speaker of Parliament in the next legislature, which will be formed as a result of the recent elections.

The party board chose Rubinyan in a closed vote over incumbent Speaker Alen Simonyan and majority leader Hayk Konjoryan.