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 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 shot down.
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.'
Russia's Ministry of Defence said it had shot down 127 drones over more than a dozen regions, and claimed control of Bochkove, a village in the Kharkiv region, though this has not been independently verified.
As the war continues, peace talks between Russia and Ukraine remain stalled, with Ukraine seeking international support to bolster its military capabilities. Recently, President Zelensky met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss military cooperation amid growing regional tensions.
