Ukraine hits second major Russian oil refinery in a week after Zelensky hails Kyiv’s growing long-range drone capabilities as ‘bringing the war back to Russia’

Russia’s air defences reportedly destroyed drones over nine regions, including 11 over Smolensk, which sits on the border with Belarus. Nearly half were hit over Kursk, where Ukrainian troops have occupied several villages for months following an incursion.

Ukrainian army claims to have shot down 65 out of the 100 drones launched by Russia last night. Less than a month before the third anniversary of the Ukraine-Russia war, at least eight people were injured in the drone attack early this morning in Kharkiv and the regions of Odesa and Kyiv.

In a significant escalation of cross-border warfare, Ukraine launched its largest drone offensive yet into Russian territory, resulting in the tragic deaths of a mother and toddler, while successfully targeting strategic installations including an oil refinery and nuclear facility.

Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery 250 miles east of Moscow in a huge wave of attacks on Russian power plants, say military sources. A large fire exploded at the refinery in Kstovo city in the Nizhny Novgorod region following the attack, the Ukrainian military said, adding it was assessing the scale of damage there.

Russia launched a barrage of drones in an overnight attack on Ukraine on Friday, killing three civilians and damaging residential and commercial buildings, officials said.