At least three people were killed and two others injured in a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes across western Russia overnight, according to regional authorities.
In Penza region, one woman was killed and two others wounded following a strike on a commercial enterprise, regional governor Oleg Melnichenko confirmed via Telegram.
Separately, an elderly man died when his home caught fire after debris from a downed drone landed on the building in Samara region, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said.
In Rostov region, a security guard was killed in a drone attack on an industrial facility.
A fire also broke out in one of the buildings at the site, according to acting governor Yuri Sliusar.
“The military repelled a massive air attack during the night,” Sliusar wrote, noting that drones were intercepted over seven districts in the region.
Russia’s defence ministry reported that its air defence systems had destroyed 112 Ukrainian drones across various regions, including 34 over Rostov, during a nearly nine-hour operation from Friday night to Saturday morning.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drone attacks overnight left three people injured, Governor Sergiy Lysak reported.
Tensions remain high as both sides continue drone warfare and airstrikes.
Russian forces recently claimed the capture of two villages in the Dnipropetrovsk region, though Kyiv denies any Russian presence in the area.
President Vladimir Putin reiterated on Friday that Russia seeks peace but maintains demands including Ukraine’s withdrawal from contested territories and an end to its NATO ambitions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by renewing his call for direct talks.
“Only Putin can end the war,” Zelensky wrote on X, adding that Ukraine was ready to meet and had accepted a U.S. proposal for negotiations. “What is needed is Russia’s readiness.”