Ukraine struck several targets deep inside Russia on Tuesday in what it described as the “most massive attack” of the war so far.
Ammunition depots and chemical plants were bombed in several areas, some hundreds of kilometers from the border, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Sources in Ukraine's Ukrainian intelligence service told the BBC that the overnight attack was a “painful blow” to Russia's ability to wage war.
Russia said it shot down the plane Atakum missiles supplied by the United States As well as British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and pledged to respond to the attack.
At least nine airports in central and western Russia temporarily stopped traffic, while the strikes prompted schools in the country's southwestern Saratov region to close their doors.
A Ukrainian security source told the BBC that the strikes in the Bryansk border region caused explosions at a refinery, ammunition warehouses and a chemical factory said to produce gunpowder and explosives.
But Kiev also struck deeper into the country, with the General Staff claiming to have hit targets up to 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) from the border.
In the western Saratov region, officials reported a “massive” drone attack.
Regional Governor Roman Busargin wrote in a telegram that two industrial facilities in the cities of Engels and Saratov were damaged.
Students were taught online Tuesday after local schools closed.
Last week, Kiev said it struck an oil storage facility in Engels, prompting a days-long effort to tackle the fire and prompting Bosgarin to declare a state of emergency.
Officials in the western Tula region also reported an attack overnight, with the region's governor, Dmitry V. Russian Milyaev said that air defenses shot down 16 drones.
He added that there were no casualties, although falling debris damaged some cars and buildings.
Elsewhere, local officials said that a gas storage site near Kazan was attacked by a drone in the southwestern region of Tatarstan, but no casualties were reported.
Moscow also launched dozens of drones across Ukraine overnight, with multiple air raid warnings sounded in and around Kiev.
The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down about 60 of the 80 drones that participated in the attack, which did not result in any casualties.
Ukraine is trying with all its might to counter Russian military advances on the ground, a week before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump has said it is He prepares to meet Vladimir Putin upon his return to the White House.
He expressed doubts about US military and financial support for Kiev, and promised to prioritize negotiating an end to the war.
He did not explain how he intended to do this.
