(NEW YORK) — The U.S. seized the Russian-flagged Marinera oil tanker — formerly known as the Bella-1 — which has been linked to Venezuela and was transiting the North Atlantic, according to three sources familiar with the operation. And it also seized another tanker, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The operation for the Marinera was being carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard and other military assets, according to one source. Russian military vessels were in the area as the situation unfolded.
In a post on X, U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure of the tanker in the North Atlantic.
“In two predawn operations today, the Coast Guard conducted back-to-back meticulously coordinated boarding of two ‘ghost fleet’ tanker ships — one in the North Atlantic Sea and one in international waters near the Caribbean,” Noem said in a post on X. “Both vessels — the Motor Tanker Bella 1 and the Motor [Tanker] Sophia — were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.”
The U.S. Coast Guard has been tracking the Marinera tanker for the last two weeks after attempting to seize it on Dec. 20 when the empty ship was in the Caribbean and apparently headed to Venezuela.
On Dec. 31 the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping listed the ship — with the new name of Marinera — as a Russian vessel. The ship’s crew also painted a Russian flag on the ship’s side.
The Bella-1 previously flew a false Panamanian flag and is suspected to be part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” which Moscow is accused of using to evade international sanctions.
The ship recently activated its transponder allowing open source maritime tracking websites to locate the ship as being in the North Atlantic Ocean close to Iceland and the United Kingdom.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said it was “monitoring with concern” the situation around the ship.
“At present, our vessel is sailing in the international waters of the North Atlantic under the state flag of the Russian Federation and in full compliance with the norms of international maritime law,” the ministry said.
“For reasons unclear to us, the Russian ship is being given increased and clearly disproportionate attention by the U.S. and NATO military, despite its peaceful status,” it said.
The vessel was put under U.S. sanctions in 2024 for carrying Hezbollah-owned cargo and for providing a form of support to the Iranian regime.
Volodymyr Zelensky President of Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron President of France and Keir Starmer Prime Minister of Great Britain sign a Declaration of Intent to deploy forces to Ukraine in event of a peace deal, during the ‘Coalition Of The Willing’ meeting at Elysee Palace on January 6, 2026 in Paris, France. (Tom Nicholson/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — U.S., European and Ukrainian representatives are gathering in Paris again on Wednesday for further talks regarding a potential peace deal to end Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country.
Participants were positive on the outcome of the first day of talks, with Jared Kushner — U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a key member of the American delegation — describing Tuesday as a “real milestone,” though warning that a peace agreement is not imminent.
Notably, the U.K. and France signed a “Declaration of Intent” to send troops to Ukraine to safeguard any future deal, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday.
The two nations said they would establish “military hubs” across Ukraine and protective facilities to be used by Ukraine’s armed forces to support the country’s defensive needs, Starmer said. The British leader, though, said that “the hardest yards are still ahead” in terms of reaching a deal.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, meanwhile, said at a joint press conference that Berlin is “not fundamentally ruling anything out” regarding its future involvement.
“Germany will continue to engage politically, financially, and also militarily,” Scholz said. “This could include, for example, deploying forces for Ukraine on neighboring NATO territory after a ceasefire.”
Kyiv has long said it cannot accept any peace deal with Russia without binding security guarantees from its Western partners to protect against future aggression from Moscow. The largely-European “Coalition of the Willing” group of nations has been pushing for such guarantees.
For its part, Russia has repeatedly said it will not accept the deployment of any troops from NATO nations to Ukraine as part of a peace deal.
The Coalition of the Willing said in a joint statement on Tuesday that its proposed guarantees will include a “U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism” overseen by a “Special Commission” to address any “breaches, attribute responsibility and determine remedies.”
The Coalition also said it would continue “critical long-term military assistance and armament” to Ukraine alongside intelligence and military industrial cooperation and deploy a multinational force to “support the rebuilding of Ukraine’s armed forces and support deterrence.
The Coalition will offer “military capabilities, intelligence and logistical support, diplomatic initiatives, adoption of additional sanctions” in the event of any future Russian aggression, it said.
The extent of any U.S. involvement remains unclear, Trump having already ruled out deploying American forces to Ukraine.
Presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said in a post to X that Tuesday’s talks made “significant progress” on several critical issues related to the proposed 20-point peace plan, including on security guarantees.
“We agree with the Coalition that durable security guarantees and robust prosperity commitments are essential to a lasting peace in the Ukraine and we will continue to work together on this effort,” Witkoff said in a post on X.
Kushner, meanwhile, warned that there is still significant work to be done before any peace deal is finalized. “This does not mean we will make peace,” he said after Tuesday’s talks. “But peace would not be possible without the progress we made today.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in posts to social media that significant progress was made on the practicalities of future security guarantees.
“It’s determined which countries are ready to take leadership in elements of ensuring security on land, in the sky, at sea and in reconstruction. It’s determined what forces are needed. It’s determined how the forces will be managed and at what levels the command will be located,” he wrote.
“We had very substantive discussions with the American side on monitoring — to ensure there are no violations of peace. The United States is ready to work on this. One of the most critical elements is deterrence — the tools that will prevent any new Russian aggression,” he added.
“Thank you, America, for your willingness to provide backstop on all fronts: security guarantees, ceasefire monitoring and reconstruction,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Volodymyr Zelensky President of Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron President of France and Keir Starmer Prime Minister of Great Britain sign a Declaration of Intent to deploy forces to Ukraine in event of a peace deal, during the ‘Coalition Of The Willing’ meeting at Elysee Palace on January 6, 2026 in Paris, France. (Photo b
(PARIS, France) — France, the U.K. and Ukraine signed a “Declaration of Intent” on Tuesday to send their forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia.
British, French and partner forces would be on the ground, establishing “military hubs” across Ukraine, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukraine’s armed forces would use the protective facilities to retain Ukraine’s defensive needs, Starmer said.
Also present at the security summit on Tuesday in Paris were White House envoy Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Merz said in a statement after the meeting that Germany could deploy forces for Ukraine on neighboring NATO territory after a ceasefire was established, but added, “I want to say for myself and also for the Federal Government that we are not fundamentally ruling anything out.”
During a press conference following the talks, Kushner said the agreement was a “real milestone,” but warned that peace is some way off.
“This does not mean we will make peace,” he said. “But peace would not be possible without the progress we made today.”
The outcome of the talks suggests the U.S. and Europe are more aligned on security guarantees and how a ceasefire should be policed after any deal. But Russia has given no indication it would be prepared to accept a deal that includes such guarantees.
The pledge by France and the U.K. to deploy troops into Ukraine could further complicate negotiations. The Kremlin has repeatedly ruled out any presence of NATO countries’ forces in Ukraine after any deal.
The Kremlin has repeatedly ruled out any presence of NATO countries’ forces in Ukraine after any deal.
During the press conference, Starmer also hailed the progress on security guarantees but noted that “the hardest yards are still ahead.”
This is all about building the practical foundations on which peace would rest,” he said.
“But we can only get to a peace deal if Putin is ready to make compromises. And so, we have to be frank. For all Russia’s words, Putin is not showing that he is ready for peace.”
Zelenskyy released a statement on the agreement, saying, “We understand which country is ready for what among all members of the Coalition of the Willing.”
“I would like to thank every leader and every state that truly wishes to be part of a peaceful solution,” he added.
US President Donald Trump during a news conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. Nicole Combeau/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(LONDON) — President Donald Trump implied on Sunday that Colombian President Gustavo Petro could face U.S. action soon, following the American attack on Venezuela that saw its president, Nicolas Maduro, captured and taken to face trial in the U.S.
Trump also appeared to threaten Cuba, the leftist government that has been a longtime ally of Maduro and his authoritarian regime in Venezuela.
“Colombia is very sick too, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it very long, let me tell you,” Trump told reporters Sunday.
Asked if the U.S. would launch a military operation against Colombia, Trump responded, “It sounds good to me.”
Earlier on Sunday, Petro released a statement on the operation against Venezuela and Trump’s previous comments about him, saying, “I deeply reject Trump speaking without knowing; my name does not appear in the judicial files on drug trafficking over 50 years, neither from before nor from the present.”
“Stop slandering me, Mr. Trump. That’s not how you threaten a Latin American president who emerged from the armed struggle and then from the people’s struggle for Peace in Colombia,” he added.
Following the removal of Maduro in Venezuela, reporters asked Trump if the U.S. had a similar plan to deal with Cuba, to which he said that the government in Havana only survived because of Venezuelan largesse.
“Now, they won’t have that money coming in. They won’t have the income coming in. You know, a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday, you know that a lot of Cubans were killed,” Trump said.
Trump said the Cubans killed on Saturday were trying to protect Maduro. According to Cuban officials, at least 32 Cuban nationals were killed in the U.S. operation.
“Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall. I don’t know how they — if they’re going to hold out, but Cuba now has no income,” Trump said. “They got all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil. They’re not getting any of it. And Cuba literally is ready to fall. And you have a lot of great Cuban Americans that are going to be very happy about this.”
Asked again if the U.S. is considering action in Cuba, the president said he did not think it necessary because “it looks like it’s going down.”
In Venezuela, meanwhile, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was appointed as interim president by the country’s Supreme Court, which described the U.S. capture of Maduro as a “kidnapping.”
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are scheduled to make their initial appearances on Monday in a federal court in Manhattan.
On Saturday, Rodriguez demanded Maduro’s return and vowed to defend Venezuela against American aggression.
On Sunday, Rodriguez posted a statement to social media in which she invited “the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence.”
In comments to The Atlantic, Trump threatened further action in Venezuela if Rodriguez failed to “do what’s right.” Asked what he wanted from Rodriguez, Trump called for “total access” to the country’s oil reserves.
“We’re in charge,” Trump told reporters of the situation in the country on Sunday. The president said that he had not spoken to Rodriguez. Asked if he planned to, the president said, “At the right time, I will.”
ABC News’ Meghan Mistry, Hannah Demissie and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
Self check-in kiosk are blocked off at Rafael Hernandez International Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. (Yadira Hernandez-Pico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Despite the Federal Aviation Administration reopening the Eastern Caribbean airspace following the dramatic capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces, some American tourists said they remain stranded across the region.
As airlines scrambled on Sunday to add flights and get people home from the Caribbean, tourists such as Nydia Han said they remain stuck.
Han, an anchor and reporter for ABC Philadelphia station WPVI, said she and her family were supposed to fly from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Philadelphia on Sunday night. But now, she said she has been told by the airlines that she can’t get a flight home until Friday.
“Unfortunately, because of Maduro’s capture and airspace being closed, we are stuck here in Vieques,” Han said in a video she shared with ABC News.
The FAA issued a so-called notice to airmen (NOTAM) to airlines early Saturday that it was banning flights from entering the Eastern Caribbean airspace “due to safety-of-flight risk associated with ongoing military activity.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a social media post later on Saturday that the Caribbean airspace ban would expire at midnight Eastern time on Sunday.
Major U.S. air carriers — including Southwest, JetBlue, United, Delta and American — canceled hundreds of flights during the airspace ban and some are scrambling to add additional flights to the region to accommodate affected customers.
Delta says they’ve added 2,600 seats through extra flights on Monday and the airline says it’s working to reaccommodate all customers by Tuesday.
Delta said delays could occur in the Caribbean on Monday because of the increased airline capacity and recommended that customers with confirmed and rebooked tickets on Monday arrive three hours early to allow for crowded airports.
Customers without confirmed tickets should not go to the airport until they’ve been rebooked.
American Airlines has added a total of 7,000 more seats with 43 extra flights. On Monday, for the first time in over a decade, American will operate interisland flights in the Eastern Caribbean with two flights connecting Anguilla Wallblake, Anguilla (AXA) and Beef Island, BVI (EIS) to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Flights throughout the Caribbean — including other popular destinations such as Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Martin and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands — were also canceled during the airspace ban, but some airports are getting back to normal.
Flights were arriving and departing from the Queen Beatrix International Airport in Oranjestad, Aruba, according to FlightRadar24.
About 29 flights into and out of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Puerto Rico were canceled on Sunday, a far cry from the 400 inbound and outbound flights canceled on Saturday.
Billy Gunther of Florida said he and his wife are newlyweds and were wrapping up their stay at an Airbnb in Puerto Rico on Saturday when they got a notification that their flight was canceled.
Gunther told ABC affiliate station WZVN in Naples, Florida, that it could be another three days before he and his wife get a flight back home. Gunther said he has spoken to other tourists coping with flight cancellations.
“So, you have a lot of people who are anxious, that they don’t know when they’re going to come home,” Gunther said.
President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro speaks during a military ceremony commemorating the 200th anniversary of the presentation of the ‘Sword of Peru’ to Venezuelan independence hero Simón Bolívar on November 25, 2025, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — President Donald Trump said the U.S. “successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela” and said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were “captured and flown out of the Country.”
The announcement on Trump’s social media platform came shortly before 4:30 a.m. Saturday a few hours after several explosions were heard in Venezuela’s capital city of Caracas, witnesses said, and photos and videos showed plumes of smoke and a large fireball in the night sky.
Trump said the operation was carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement and said he would hold a news conference at 11 a.m. from Mar-a-Lago.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, “will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts” on a slew of charges in New York, including “narco-terrorism conspiracy” and “cocaine importation conspiracy” as well as weapons charges. Maduro has faced the charges in New York for years.
Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News Maduro was being flown to New York. While the sources did not specify where Maduro will be held, defendants awaiting trial in federal court in Manhattan are customarily held at MDC-Brooklyn.
The operation that led to Maduro’s capture was carried out by the Army’s Delta Force after the CIA had identified the leader’s precise location, according to two people familiar with the operation. Delta Force is an elite special operations group of soldiers trained in secret counterterrorism operations and hostage rescues.
One person told ABC News that Trump had given the green light to capture Maduro several days ago and troops were ready to strike on Christmas Day, but were delayed due to military airstrikes in Nigeria against ISIS. Subsequent opportunities were postponed partly due to weather, the person said.
CBS first reported the details on the operation.
In a brief phone interview with The New York Times, President Trump celebrated what he called the success of the mission to capture Maduro, who the U.S. has considered the head of a foreign terrorist organization since a November designation.
“A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” Trump told The New York Times. “It was a brilliant operation, actually.”
When asked whether he had sought congressional authorization for the operation or what would come next for Venezuela, Trump said he would address those matters during his news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday morning.
‘No further action’ anticipated
Republican Sen. Mike Lee, of Utah, said in a post on X that he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the phone about the actions being taken in Venezuela after initially asking “what, if anything, might constitutionally justify this action in the absence of a declaration of war or authorization for the use of military force.”
According to Lee, Rubio said that Maduro had been “arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States,” and that the “kinetic action” was taken to protect those executing the warrant.
He also said that Rubio told him he anticipates “no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody.”
“This was an incredibly dangerous operation to conduct,” said ABC Contributor Mick Mulroy, a former CIA officer and senior Pentagon official. “It required precise intelligence, detailed planning and flawless execution by these Delta operators and all the support, especially the [Joint Special Operations Command] air component, to pull it off in the manner that they did.”
Senate and House Republicans praised Trump’s actions, with Sen. Rick Scott, of Florida saying “a new day is here for Venezuela and Latin America” in a post on X and Sen. Tom Cotton, of Arkansas saying Maduro “wasn’t just an illegitimate dictator; he also ran a vast drug-trafficking operation.”
But the action was criticized by Democrats.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, of Arizona, blasted Trump’s move, calling it the “second unjustified war in my life time” in a post on X. “This war is illegal, it’s embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year. There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela.”
The latest events come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela including a build-up of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean and the targeting of alleged drug-smuggling boats.
Some 15,000 U.S. military personnel were in the area as well as the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier.
The operation also comes a short time after the first-known land strike carried out against a dock where Trump said drugs were being loaded onto boats.
International reaction
The Venezuelan government issued a statement condemning what it called “the grave military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America” in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira.
In addition, President Nicolas Maduro ordered the implementation of national defense plans, and declared a “state of External Disturbance throughout the national territory,” according to the statement.
Russia condemned the action as “an act of armed aggression against Venezuela” and said it wanted to prevent “further escalation,” according to the country’s Foreign Ministry. And Colombian President Gustavo Petro said “Alert the world: Venezuela has been attacked!” in a post on X. But Trump ally and Argentinian president Javier Milei praised the move.
The U.S. has long considered Maduro the head of a corrupt dictatorial regime. In 2024, Maduro declared victory after a widely disputed presidential election for a third term.
US recently declares Maduro head of terror organization
In an unprecedented move in November, the Trump administration declared Maduro the head of a foreign terrorist organization, citing alleged links to drug cartels, which Maduro denied.
The designation put the Venezuelan leader on the same list as terror networks like al-Qaeda and the Houthi rebel group in Yemen. In August, Rubio announced the U.S. had increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest from $25 million to $50 million.
Maduro has faced charges in the United States of narcotics-terrorism since 2020, when federal prosecutors in New York accused him of partnering with a Colombian rebel group to “flood the United States with cocaine in order to undermine the health and wellbeing” of the nation.
The charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons possession conspiracy. Prosecutors allege that Maduro and 14 current or former officials ran a vast criminal enterprise for the last 20 years, using state resources to fuel the international drug trade, including in the U.S.
Flowers are laid after a fire broke out overnight at Le Constellation bar on January 01, 2026 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)
(CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland) — Investigators probing the deadly New Year’s Day fire at a Swiss resort bar are looking into the possibility that it started from sparklers that were too close to the ceiling.
Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Attorney General, told reporters Friday that investigators were still conducting interviews and going through evidence from the wreckage at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana but she said that they are “pursuing several hypotheses,” based on the evidence they’ve gathered so far.
“We currently assume that the fire was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling,” she said at a news conference.
“Initial evidence has been secured at the scene,” Pilloud added.
Forty people were killed and 119 people were injured in the blaze, according to authorities who said the fire spread very rapidly.
Investigators are working to identify the deceased victims.
“No mistakes can be permitted. We need to give the correct remains back to the families,” Pierre-Antoine Lengen, the head of the Swiss Judicial Police, told reporters.
Of the injured, 71 were Swiss citizens, 14 were French, 11 were Italian, and others were from Bosnia, Serbia, Portugal and Belgium, according to officials.
The nationalities of the 14 other injured victims were not immediately determined.
Pilloud said that more interviews will be conducted and noted that investigators spoke with the two French managers of the bar.
“For now, there is no penal liability which has been identified,” she said when a reporter asked about any liability.
Investigators are also looking into the building’s safety measures and building regulations, according to Pilloud.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Flowers are laid after a fire broke out overnight at Le Constellation bar on January 01, 2026 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)
(CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland) — Investigators probing the deadly New Year’s Day fire at a Swiss resort bar are looking into the possibility that it started from some sparkling candles.
Beatrice Pilloud, Valais Attorney General, told reporters Friday that investigators were still conducting interviews and going through evidence from the wreckage at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana but she said that they are “pursuing several hypotheses,” based on the evidence they’ve gathered so far.
“We currently assume that the fire was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling,” she said at a news conference.
Forty people were killed and 119 people were injured in the blaze, according to authorities who said the fire spread very rapidly.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(LONDON) — Around 40 people were killed and 115 others were injured early on New Year’s Day, when a fire ripped through a popular bar in a resort town in the Swiss Alps, police said.
The Swiss president said the fire caused one of the worst tragedies that the country has ever experienced.
A blaze of “undetermined origin” broke out at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana at about 1:30 a.m. local time, the Cantonal Police of Valais said in a statement.
Investigators were working on Thursday to determine the cause of the fire, officials said during a morning press conference. The incident was not being investigated as an attack, they added.
“A large contingent of police, firefighters, and rescue personnel immediately responded to the scene to assist the numerous victims,” police said in their statement.
A no-fly zone was put in place over Crans-Montana, police said in their statement. The resort town is popular with skiers and sits in Switzerland’s southern Sierre District in the Canton of Valais.
Police have not released the identities of those who were killed in the blaze. Officials on Thursday said it was likely, given the popularity of the area with travelers, that some of the deceased were tourists who traveled to the Alpine town to ski and to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
The French Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that at least two French nationals were among the injured. Both were being treated in local hospitals, the ministry said. French officials were “in constant contact with the Swiss authorities in case other nationals are affected,” the ministry added.
ABC News’ Tom Soufi-Burridge contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — December saw a new record number of Ukrainian long-range drones shot down by Russian forces, according to statistics published by the Russian Defense Ministry and analyzed by ABC News, with Moscow claiming to have destroyed more than 4,300 over the course of the month.
Through December, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down 4,379 Ukrainian long-range drones, at a rate of around 141 each day.
ABC News cannot independently verify the data released by either Russia or Ukraine. It is possible that both sides may seek to exaggerate the effectiveness of their air defenses, or to amplify the attacks against them as proof that their enemies are not interested in pursuing a peace deal.
The total number of Ukrainian drones being reported as shot down by Moscow is still significantly less than the number of munitions launched into Ukraine by Russian forces, as detailed in the daily after-action reports from the Ukrainian air force.
But the gap between the two figures appeared to have narrowed in December compared to recent months, according to data released by both sides and analyzed by ABC News.
In December, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched a total of 5,307 long-range munitions — 5,131 drones and 176 missiles. Of the drones, nearly 81% were shot down or suppressed, while around 64% of missiles were also defeated, the air force said.
The scale of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine through December were similar to previous months, all of which were slightly down on the record-breaking month of July.
Over the course of July, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 6,443 munitions — 6,245 drones and 198 missiles — into the country.
This year has seen an exponential increase in the scale of long-range cross-border strikes by both Russia and Ukraine, according to data released by each side, as the combatants try to destabilize their opponent’s economy and sap their ability to marshal military and financial resources to fight the ongoing war.
Neither side provides detailed data on the scale of their own attacks or their targets, though often release statements describing the targets as military, energy or industrial sites. Both sides accuse the other of intentionally attacking civilian targets.
Both Kyiv and Moscow do offer limited information on their day-to-day air defensive actions.
Ukraine’s air force publishes what it says is a daily tally of Russian drone and missile strikes, including information as to how many munitions were intercepted and how many hit targets. Russia’s Defense Ministry only publishes figures of Ukrainian drones it claims were shot down.
The last month of the year saw the reported number of Ukrainian drones surpass even the most intense months of 2025, which has seen the largest barrages of the war, according to data published by both Ukraine and Russia.
The days on which Russia reported the highest number of drones shot down this year were on Dec. 24, when 387 drones were reported destroyed, and on Dec. 11, when 336 drones were recorded as having been intercepted.
Until December, the largest number of Ukrainian drones reported having been downed by Russian forces was in October, when Moscow said it destroyed 3,641 drones at a rate of over 117 per day.
In November, Russia reported downing 3,392 Ukrainian drones at a rate of 113 per day. December saw a 29% increase in reported Ukrainian drones shot down versus November, according to Russian data.
It is unlikely that Russian data offers a full picture of Ukraine’s offensive drone activities. But the numbers appear indicative of Kyiv’s efforts to grow its drone and missile arsenals, the reach of those munitions and the intensity with which it can attack targets inside Russia.
Ukraine’s military confirms the targets of some long-range strikes. When Kyiv does describe the targets, officials say they’re military sites or industrial energy facilities. Over the past year, Ukraine has adopted a special focus on attacking Russian oil refining and transport facilities.
Among the targets claimed struck by Ukraine’s military in December were oil refineries, oil tankers, oil rigs and pipeline infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials have been clear on the value they place on Kyiv’s long-range strike capabilities — and on their intention to further expand their drone and missile arsenals to reach deeper into Russia. To date, the majority of Ukrainian strikes are believed to have been conducted using relatively cheap, Ukrainian-made drones.
“Our production potential for drones and missiles alone will reach $35 billion next year,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in October. “Despite all the difficulties, Ukrainians are creating their national defense product that, in certain parameters, already surpasses many others in the world.”
“Never before in history has Ukrainian defense been so long-range and so felt by Russia,’ Zelenskyy said. “We must make the cost of war absolutely unacceptable for the aggressor — and we will.”
Russian officials have broadly sought to downplay the Ukrainian attacks, with most reports of damage or casualties attributed to falling debris from intercepted drones, rather than craft that found their mark.
But plentiful publicly available information — including video footage and photographs of the attacks — indicate that a significant number of Ukrainian drones do get through Russian air defenses and impact at sensitive military and industrial sites.
