Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Ukrainian drones struck 11 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov overnight. The targets included five tankers, five dry cargo ships and a tugboat. Brovdi said the latest operation brought the number of vessels hit in the past nine days to 116.
The attacks drew a sharp response from Moscow, with Russia's foreign minister describing Ukrainian strikes on commercial vessels in the Sea of Azov as "piracy and terrorism".
Ukraine also claimed it had struck two Russian oil processing facilities overnight. The General Staff said drone attacks triggered fires at the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat petrochemical complex in Bashkortostan and near the Afipsky oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region.
Bashkortostan Governor Radiy Khabirov confirmed that drones had attacked the Salavat complex, causing several fires and damaging resource supply overpasses and electrical cables. He said the facility's main production assets were not damaged and operations were expected to return to normal within days.
Russian authorities also reported a fire at the Afipsky refinery, saying it was caused by falling drone debris. Emergency services later said the blaze had been extinguished. The refinery has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks and is a significant export-oriented processing facility.
Meanwhile, Russia intensified its air campaign against Ukraine, launching 135 drones and 10 missiles overnight, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said 16 sites in Kyiv were damaged, including a school and a business, while attacks on other regions injured civilians in Kharkiv and Chernihiv.
Ukraine's air force said it intercepted five of eight ballistic missiles and shot down 108 of the 135 drones launched by Russia.
Separately, Ukrainian navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said Russian forces struck a civilian vessel near the Black Sea port of Odesa. No casualties were reported.
The latest attacks come as both sides expand long-range strikes, with Ukraine increasingly targeting Russian military and energy infrastructure while Russia continues near nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities and critical facilities.
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