Russia and Ukraine exchanged intense aerial strikes overnight into Saturday

Russia and Ukraine exchanged intense aerial strikes overnight and into Saturday, with both nations reporting over 100 enemy drones in their airspace.

The attacks came less than a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss Washington’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the ongoing war.

Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia had launched a large overnight assault, deploying dozens of drones and two ballistic missiles. The attack included both Shahed-type strike drones and decoys designed to overwhelm air defences. Of the total, 130 drones were intercepted, while another 38 failed to reach their intended targets.

Russia targeted critical energy infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, causing severe damage, according to Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK.

“The damage is significant. Energy workers are already on the ground, doing everything possible to restore power to homes as quickly as possible,” the company said in a statement. Some residents in affected areas were left without electricity.

Meanwhile, on Friday evening, the city of Kherson was hit with air strikes killing a 43-year-old man and injuring five other people.

The neighbourhoods of Tavriyskyi and Tekstylne were hit the hardest with damaged homes, transport and civilian infrastructure.

The northern town of Chernihiv was targeted and a drone strike damaged a ten-story building and cars.

Moscow released a video on Saturday showing the damaged town of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region and claimed it was retaken by Russian forces on Thursday.

The Defence Ministry claimed that the army evacuated people from retaken territories.

Sudzha fell to Ukrainian forces shortly after their offensive into Russia began in August 2024. According to the Ukrainian side, several hundred civilians remained in the city after its army captured it.

Over in Russia’s Volgograd region, Governor Andrei Bocharov confirmed that falling drone debris had triggered a fire in the Krasnoarmeysky district near a Lukoil oil refinery. He provided no further details, but local media reported that nearby airports temporarily suspended flights.

Kyiv has targeted the Volgograd refinery multiple times since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion more than three years ago, with the latest drone strike occurring on 15 February.

Video editor • Lucy Davalou