RUSSIA – Ukraine says its forces successfully hit an oil refinery in the Russian town of Kstovo, around 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the front lines in eastern Ukraine. Four drones hit a Lukoil company depot, Ukrainian media said, adding that the facility suffered significant damage. Regional governor Gleb Nikitin said that drone debris had fallen over the industrial zone, and that no casualties had been reported at the scene.

Separately, the governor of the region of Smolensk, Vasily Anokhin, said on Telegram that a “massive” drone attack against “civilian infrastructure” had occurred in his region, although no casualties were immediately reported. Anokhin said one of the drones had been shot down when attempting to hit a nuclear power facility. The BBC has not been able to verify this information independently. A mother and her toddler were killed in the border region of Belgorod, which has come under frequent attack from Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. (BBC)