KYIV: Ukraine's security services said on Saturday they had struck a Russian ammunition factory in a border region, as Moscow's forces claimed yet another advance on the battlefield.
Ukraine also said it had thwarted a "massive" overnight Russian aerial attack that saw drones launched towards the capital Kyiv.
The attacks come after a week of intense Russian bombardments across Ukraine that killed at least 55 in the central city of Poltava, and seven in Lviv -- hundreds of kilometres from the frontlines and close to Ukraine's western border with EU and Nato members.
A large fire and several explosions were reported overnight in the Russian region of Voronezh, which borders Ukraine, prompting officials to evacuate locals living near the blaze.
Kyiv was targeting "military airfields, ammunition depots and infrastructure facilities" in order to "create a demilitarised zone in the regions of Russia adjacent to Ukraine."
Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 67 drones at the country overnight, adding that it shot down 58 of them. Reporters in Kyiv heard loud explosions overnight.
"There are almost no nights when Russian attack drones do not attack the territory of Ukraine. And today was another night, massive drone attack," the Kyiv city administration said in a social media post on Saturday.
In the east of the country, three people were killed in Russian shelling on Kostyantynivka -- in the Donetsk region where Russian troops are advancing -- the local governor said.
Russia's military said on Saturday it had seized the village of Kalynove, around 25 kilometres southeast of the key logistics hub of Pokrovsk, which Russia is seeking to capture.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reaffirmed her strong support for Ukraine on Saturday after talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, as he visited allies to press for more weapons to fight Russia.
"We must not give up on Ukraine," Meloni said after the meeting on the sidelines of an economic forum in Cernobbio, northern Italy, which focused on reconstruction and efforts to end the war with Russia.
Zelensky had on Friday addressed the European House-Ambrosetti forum, hours after pressing for more weapons at a meeting of allies at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where Washington unveiled $250 million in new military aid. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
