Ukraine has carried out what is believed to be its most intense bombardment of Russia since the war began, sparking fires and destroying a drone factory in an overnight assault. Russian forces reported downing or intercepting 1,165 drones, bombs and missiles, underlining the scale of the strikes and Kyiv's growing capacity to hit targets deep inside Russian territory.

Among the sites hit was a drone factory in Belgorod, roughly 20 miles from the Ukrainian border, which footage showed engulfed in flames, with a local resident describing the destruction as a "disaster". The wider campaign also struck two major oil refineries, at Saratov and Ufa, along with a Wildberries logistics base at Novosemeykino, in what has been described as Ukraine's most damaging day of strikes on Russian soil so far.