Ukrainian forces have reportedly conducted attacks on several military targets within Russia, including an airbase and oil depots, in response to the ongoing assaults against Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, they announced on Facebook that their forces struck an airbase in Morozovsk as well as ammunition depots using guided bombs late Saturday night. In addition, fuel storage facilities in the Belgorod, Kursk, and Rostov regions were also targeted.

In Russia, local authorities reported that tanks at a fuel depot in the Kamensky district of the Rostov region caught fire as a result of the attack. The governor of Belgorod provided similar information, stating that Ukrainian-launched drones sparked a fire at an oil storage facility, although no injuries were reported in the incident.

While Russian officials did not comment on the airbase attack, the governor of Rostov, Vasily Golubev, confirmed a state of emergency was declared in the Morozovsk district. He noted that the region was attacked by 55 drones, without specifying how many were intercepted and how many reached their targets. “We have currently registered damage to windows in several social institutions, including schools and kindergartens, as well as in residential and industrial buildings,” Golubev stated on Telegram.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of 36 drones over the Rostov region. Overall, it was announced that air defense systems destroyed 75 drones across several regions near the Ukrainian border, including Belgorod, Krasnodar, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Voronezh, and Ryazan, which are further inside Russian territory. One drone was also shot down over the Sea of Azov.

Ukraine has intensified its aerial attacks on Russian territory in recent months, claiming these actions are targeting locations that support Russia’s military forces and economy. This follows a series of bombings that Ukraine has endured since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion in February 2022.

Ukrainian officials have consistently urged their Western allies to allow them to use their weapons for long-range strikes on Russia, beyond attacks on military targets near the border. “The Russian air force must be destroyed, wherever it is located, by all effective means. It is also justified to hit Russian airbases. We need this collective decision with our partners—a security decision,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media on Saturday. “This is the only way to ensure the protection of our people,” he added, noting that Russian forces have utilized more than 600 guided bombs to attack Ukraine over the past week.

In light of the intense Russian air campaign, Zelenskyy has prioritized the need for improved air defense systems in his discussions with allies. Several NATO countries have pledged to provide F-16 fighter jets and have been training Ukrainian pilots and crews for several months.