Ukraine's Ports and Vessels in the Black Sea Overnight, While Ukraine Reported Striking a Major Oil Refinery and an Airfield

Russia's military said it attacked Ukraine's ports and vessels in the Black Sea overnight, while Ukraine reported striking a major oil refinery and an airfield deep inside Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Engels airfield and the Saratov oil refinery, both in the Saratov region about 600km (373 miles) from Ukraine's border, were hit. An oil depot in the Kaluga region and a drone launch site in Bryansk were also struck.

Russia said eight people were killed in the Ukrainian strikes and that 635 drones were shot down or intercepted. It also reported another strike on a warehouse of Russia's biggest online retailer, Wildberries. Moscow said its forces attacked two Ukrainian ports and two vessels in the Black Sea overnight.

Later on Sunday, Ukraine said one person was killed in a Russian strike on a postal terminal near the north-eastern city of Kharkiv. Both sides have recently intensified attacks on major cities, energy facilities, and warehouses, as the vast front line remains virtually static and US-led mediation efforts to end the war have shown no breakthrough. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In a social media post on Sunday, Zelensky described the latest Ukrainian strikes as "our long-range sanctions" against Russian facilities that he says finance Moscow's war, calling the Engels airfield and Saratov oil refinery "strategic facilities.

The Ukrainian military said its attack triggered a blaze at the airfield, one of the main bases of Russia's strategic aviation, where Tu-95MC and Tu-160 bombers regularly launch missile strikes against Ukraine. Saratov regional Governor Roman Busargin admitted that "a drone attack caused damage to civilian infrastructure in Saratov and Engels, later saying two people were killed. Separately, three people were reported killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on a civilian vehicle in Russia's Udmurtia region, and another three in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.

Ukraine's major online retailer Rozetka said its largest warehouse was hit by Russian drones overnight. In the Samara region, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev described a strike on a Wildberries warehouse that caused a fire as "yet another terrorist act" by Ukraine, reporting no casualties. In recent weeks, Ukraine has hit a number of Wildberries logistics hubs, describing them as legitimate targets providing the Russian military with drone components, navigation equipment, and other gear.

Wildberries, often described as Russia's Amazon, employs some 48,000 people. Ukraine's attacks are reported to have had a serious impact on the Russian economy, especially on hundreds of small and mid-sized businesses using the retailer. Meanwhile, Russia has been targeting warehouses of Ukraine's Nova Poshta postal company and major online retailers like Rozetka, which said its largest warehouse was hit overnight by Russian drones but reported no injuries.