two were killed Ukraine border

Moscow (dpa) — At least two people were killed in Ukrainian attacks in western Russia, including near the border with Ukraine, while Moscow said it intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones overnight.

The deaths were reported in Russia’s Belgorod region, where strikes hit areas close to the Ukrainian border on Monday evening, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.

Elsewhere, the governor of the Lipetsk region, Igor Artamonov, said a fire broke out at a factory in the Usman district following a drone attack, without providing further details.

Russian Telegram channels, citing witnesses, also reported explosions in several other regions of the country.

The Russian Defence Ministry said air defences had intercepted 129 Ukrainian drones in recent hours over Russian territory and the annexed Crimean Peninsula, most of them over the Bryansk, Belgorod and Yaroslavl regions. The ministry traditionally does not disclose information on damage caused on the ground by such attacks.

Ukraine has been defending itself with Western support against Russia’s full-scale invasion for nearly four years.

Kiev frequently carries out strikes on targets inside Russia, though the number of casualties and the scale of damage from such attacks pale in comparison with the destruction inflicted by Russian forces in Ukraine.