Kyiv:

Ukraine fired a wave of drones at Russia early Saturday, setting a fuel depot on fire, officials said, with both sides accusing the other of deadly attacks on civilians.

Cross-border attacks in Ukraine have killed at least three people, while Russian attacks in northeastern Ukraine have killed two, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said.

A Ukrainian defense source told AFP in Kyiv that the “massive” drone strikes targeted eight Russian regions and targeted “energy infrastructure that powers the Russian military-industrial complex.”

“At least three power substations and a fuel storage base were attacked and set on fire,” the source said, adding that it was a “joint operation” by Ukrainian security services, the army and military intelligence.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it intercepted 50 Ukrainian drones overnight, some hundreds of kilometers from the border, including near the capital Moscow.

Video on social media purportedly showed a fire breaking out at a fuel depot in Russia’s western Smolensk region, with the governor confirming the attack was caused by a drone.

Governor Vasily Anokhin said: “Air defense forces shot down the aircraft. However, as debris fell, tanks containing fuel and lubricants caught fire.”

Kiev has stepped up attacks on Russian oil and gas facilities in recent months as part of what it calls “fair” retaliation against infrastructure used to fuel Russia’s war.

Ukrainian drones killed two people in Russia’s Belgorod border region, and shelling later in the day killed a pregnant woman, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said early Saturday.

Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a residential building and a barn were “completely burned” in the village of Porodz, less than two kilometers (one mile) from the border. Another building was severely damaged.

Gradkov wrote on Telegram: “Due to the release of two explosive devices, a fire broke out in a private residential building. Unfortunately, two civilians died – a woman recovering from a fractured femur and a The man who takes care of her.”

He later said that Ukraine shelled the village of Novotavorjanka, killing a pregnant woman and her unborn child.

He said: “Doctors did their best to save the mother and child. But sadly, the woman and the unborn baby died from their injuries.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine said two people were killed and two others wounded in a Russian attack on a residential building in the northeastern city of Vovchansk.

“A nine-storey residential building was hit directly. A woman and a man were injured. Both victims were aged 61. Elsewhere, two men aged 50 and 84 were found dead in the city. Killed by shelling,” the district attorney said.

The region’s governor, Oleg Sinegubov, shared a photo showing a pile of rubble next to a collapsed part of a multi-storey residential complex.

Russia fired at least seven missiles into Ukraine at night, two of which were shot down by air defense systems, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

Ukraine has asked its Western allies for more air defense systems in recent months as it struggles to fend off a surge in deadly attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The attack on its northeast came just a day after President Zelensky urged NATO to quickly provide more aid to help his forces, which have ceded territory to Russia in recent months.

“This year, we can’t wait for the decision to be made,” he told NATO defense ministers.

“We also need seven Patriots or similar air defense systems – that’s the minimum number. They can save many lives and really make a difference,” Zelensky said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)