Ukraine hit several targets deep inside Russia on Tuesday in what it said was the “most massive” attack of the war so far.
Ammunition depots and chemical factories were hit in several regions, some of which were hundreds of kilometers from the border, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Sources in Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency told the BBC that the overnight attack was a “painful blow” to Russia’s ability to wage war.
Russia said it shot down Atacms missiles delivered from the USA as well as UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and vowed to respond to the attack.
At least nine airports in central and western Russia temporarily halted traffic, while strikes prompted school closures in the southwestern Saratov region.
The strikes in the border region of Bryansk caused explosions at a refinery, ammunition depots and a chemical plant said to produce gunpowder and explosives, a Ukrainian security source told the BBC.
But Kiev also struck far deeper into the country, with the General Staff claiming to have hit targets up to 1,100 km (700 miles) from the border.
In the western Saratov region, officials reported a “massive” drone attack.
Two industrial plants in the cities of Engels and Saratov were damaged, regional governor Roman V. Busargin wrote on Telegram.
Students had classes online Tuesday after local schools were closed.
Last week, Kiev said it had hit an oil storage facility in Engels – prompting days of efforts to tackle the blaze and Busgarin declaring a state of emergency.
Officials in the western Tula region also reported an attack overnight, where regional governor Dmitry V. Milyaev Russian said air defenses shot down 16 drones.
There were no casualties, he said, although falling debris damaged some cars and buildings.
Elsewhere, a gas storage facility near Kazan was attacked in a drone strike in the southwestern region of Tatarstan, local officials said, without reporting casualties.
Moscow also launched dozens of drones across Ukraine overnight, with multiple air strikes in and around Kyiv.
Ukraine’s air force said it shot down about 60 of the 80 drones involved in the attack, with no casualties.
Ukraine is trying to resist, however it can, the Russian army’s advance on the ground, with a week until the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump said he did preparing to meet with Vladimir Putin upon his return to the White House.
He expressed skepticism about US military and financial support to Kiev and promised to prioritize negotiations to end the war.
He did not make it clear how he planned to do this.