Four killed in Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian regions and annexed Crimea

At least four people were killed and 18 others injured overnight in Ukrainian drone attacks across Russia and the annexed Crimean peninsula, officials reported on Tuesday, as Moscow's forces simultaneously resumed strikes on Kyiv after a brief ceasefire. In the Bryansk region, acting Governor Yegor Kovalchuk said a 39-year-old man died in an attack on a gas station in the town of Starodub, located just 35 kilometres north of the Ukrainian border; three others were wounded in the same incident. Across the nearby Belgorod region, acting Governor Alexander Shuvayev confirmed one fatality from what he described as a “targeted” hit in a border district, with four further injuries reported elsewhere in the region, where he said Ukraine had carried out 112 attacks over the previous 24 hours.

In the southern Saratov region, unverified reports indicated that Ukrainian drones had targeted a Rosneft-operated oil refinery, though local governor Roman Busargin confirmed only damage to residential properties and said ten people, including three children, had been injured. In occupied Crimea, the Kremlin-installed leader Sergei Aksyonov reported two deaths and one injury from a drone strike near the city of Simferopol. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed to have intercepted 384 Ukrainian drones across Russia and Crimea between Monday night and Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, at least three people were killed in Kyiv after Russia resumed its strikes on the capital, ending a three-day pause that had coincided with renewed talks aimed at ending the war. The overnight attacks underscore the continued volatility on both sides of the border, with civilian infrastructure and residential areas bearing the brunt of the escalating conflict, and no immediate prospect of a halt to the exchanges despite diplomatic efforts.