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At least seven people were killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine overnight, including five in the central city of Dnipro, where officials said an apartment building was hit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the latest attack lasted “practically all night”, while rescue workers were still searching for survivors under rubble in Dnipro on Saturday morning.
British jets were scrambled from Romania during the heavy attack when Russian drones were detected near the border, though the UK Ministry of Defence rejected a report it had shot some down.
Meanwhile, Ukraine carried out some of its longest-distance drone strikes deep inside Russian territory.
In Yekaterinburg, almost 1,000 miles (1,600km) from Ukraine’s border, the governor said six people were injured when a building was struck – while in nearby Chelyabinsk, a local leader said drones targeting an industrial facility were intercepted.
Russian missiles and drones also targeted the northern city of Chernihiv, where officials said two people were killed, as well as Odesa and Kharkiv.
Ukrainian authorities said they repelled the vast majority of the more than 600 Russian drones, which appears to have been the largest attack in several days.
Zelensky wrote on social media: “The Russians’ tactics have not changed: strike drones, cruise missiles, and a significant amount of ballistics.
“Most of the targets are ordinary infrastructure in cities. Residential buildings, energy, and enterprises have been damaged.”
It also clarified a previous statement which incorrectly suggested that British jets based in the country had shot down Russian drones, which would have been the first incident of its kind.
It said British jets “did not enter Ukrainian airspace”, and “no drones were shot down by the aircraft, because the drones did not breach Romanian airspace”.
A Nato official said British Typhoon jets “had the authority to engage the potential threats”, but “engagement was not required as the targets were neutralised outside Romanian airspace”.
With peace talks between Russia and Ukraine at an impasse, Ukraine continues to seek international backing for its military efforts.
On Friday, Zelensky met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the second round of talks between the pair in recent months as Ukraine seeks to broker closer ties with Gulf allies.
