Zelensky Approves 40-Day SBU Influence Operation Pressuring Russia To End War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky approved a 40-day “influence operation” by the country’s security service aimed at pressuring Russia to end the war, after consultations with Yevhenii Khmara, the acting head of Ukraine’s Security Service.

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had approved a 40-day campaign to pressure Russia to end the war on Kyiv, after consulting with the head of the Ukrainian Security Service about strikes against Russian targets”

Al-Jazeera Net

Zelensky wrote on X, “I approved a 40-day influence operation for the Service against the aggressor state aimed at compelling it to end the war,” and the Kyiv Independent said the announcement followed a meeting between Zelensky and Khmara on June 25.

Al-Jazeera Net

The Kyiv Independent reported Zelensky said the commander outlined “our plan for long-range sanctions, medium-range sanctions, and the results achieved by the SBU,” while also praising the elite Alpha special operations unit for “hitting personnel and equipment of the occupying forces.”

Ukrainian forces have also been striking Russia and Russian-held areas, with the Kyiv Independent describing drone strikes on Moscow in June that shut down the Moscow Oil Refinery and a “middle strike” campaign against occupied Crimea that “choked logistics in the peninsula.”

In parallel with the 40-day campaign, TVP World said Zelensky made a rare direct appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin proposing a face-to-face meeting to resolve key differences and bring the war, now into its fifth year, to an end.

TVP World reported Zelensky warned, “If you do not personally come to the conclusion that it is time to end this war, Ukraine will continue fighting for its existence,” and it said Putin rejected direct talks, saying he saw “no point” in such a meeting.

Anadolu Ajansı

The Kyiv Independent said the Kremlin “continues to refuse to engage in good-faith peace negotiations,” and it reported that Putin was rejecting repeated invitations to meet Zelensky for talks in a neutral country.

The Kyiv Independent also tied the pressure campaign to recent Ukrainian strikes, noting Zelensky praised the SBU for “defending Ukraine's positions on the front lines through the use of various types of drones.”

While Zelensky’s 40-day plan centers on pressuring Russia to end the war, multiple outlets linked the broader campaign to strikes on Russian energy targets, with TVP World saying many attacks have focused on the oil industry.

Al Jazeera Net reported that Zelensky approved the 40-day campaign after consulting the head of the Ukrainian Security Service about strikes against Russian targets, and it said Ukraine has for months launched “waves of medium- and long-range strikes” primarily focusing on the oil sector.

Al Jazeera Net also described the scale of drone activity, saying “In total, 269 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight in Russian airspace and over the Crimean peninsula,” and it reported a fire at the Poltavskaya oil depot in Krasnoarmeysky after drone wreckage fell.

In a separate account of the energy pressure, L’Indépendant reported that Hungary blocked the €90 billion EU aid loan to Ukraine and that Viktor Orban said, “We will stop allowing transit through Hungary of things important for Ukraine, until we receive Kyiv’s approval for deliveries of Russian oil,” as the dispute over Russian oil transit and EU aid intensified.