Russian air defense forces intercepted or destroyed 10 Ukrainian drones heading for Moscow last night, the capital's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, quoted by Reuters.
Sobyanin, writing on the Telegram app, did not mention any casualties or damage.
In a separate publication, the Russian Defense Ministry said its air defense units shot down 87 Ukrainian drones in various regions of central, western and southern Russia over a period of nearly five hours. Forty-eight of the drones were shot down in the Bryansk region, on the Ukrainian border.
The acting governor of the Rostov region said that Ukrainian drones had caused fires or damaged power lines in a number of areas of the region.
Drones are currently attacking Odessa, explosions can be heard in the city, the city's mayor Gennady Trukhanov reported on the Telegram app.
More than 20 drones are attacking in different parts of the Ukrainian Black Sea city, local channels on Telegram also reported.
Regional authorities are urging residents to immediately head for shelters.
The alert was issued at 10:41 p.m. (local time - coincides with Bulgarian time). The explosions began to echo around midnight.
The massive attack continues.
Local channels on “Telegram“ are reporting that targets have been hit and that smoke is rising over the city.
Yesterday, Russia launched a new large-scale air attack on Ukraine, using a combination of combat drones and missiles, DPA reported.
Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept several drones heading towards Kiev in the evening. Earlier in the day, multiple ballistic missiles were fired at targets near the southeastern city of Dnieper.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Russian strategic bombers capable of launching long-range cruise missiles have also taken to the air.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky said last night that they are currently defending the key city of Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk region, Reuters reported.
President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the Ukrainian Armed Forces for defending the logistics center, which has resisted Russian attempts to seize it for months.
Syrsky said he had presented a report to the head of state describing the challenges facing Ukrainian soldiers along the thousand-kilometer front.
“The greatest attention is focused on the Pokrovsk and Novopavlovka sectors, where soldiers are bravely holding back intense pressure and destroying the Russian aggressor“, Syrsky said on the “Telegram“ app. “The enemy continues to use its tactics of small infantry groups, but has proven powerless to capture Pokrovsk. Today they tried to break through sabotage groups, but they were discovered and destroyed by Ukrainian defenders,“ he added.
Zelensky, commenting on the report, praised the defenders of Pokrovsk, who repelled sabotage groups “trying to advance and enter Ukrainian cities and villages – no such Russian group has a chance to survive“.
Syrsky issued his report after a week of reshuffles in the government, which is now focused on strengthening domestic arms production.
Russian troops are advancing through the Donetsk region, while the Russian Defense Ministry announces the capture of settlements on the approaches to Pokrovsk almost daily. The capture of one such village – Popov Yar, it was announced on Thursday.
Ukraine has reported some success in pushing Russian troops out of the area in recent months. Pokrovsk is a road and rail hub used to supply other frontline towns.
Most of Pokrovsk's population, which was about 60,000 before the war, has been evacuated. Ukraine's only mine that produces coking coal - used in its once-vast steel industry - is located near the town, but it is currently inactive.