Russia downs 456 Ukrainian drones in deadly overnight attack

Ukrainian rescuers work in the courtyard of a damaged building at the site of a Russian air attack in Odesa. [Oleksandr Gimanov, AFP]

Russia shot down 456 Ukrainian drones in overnight attacks that left several dead in two Russian regions, local authorities said Monday.

More than four years since the start of Russia's large-scale offensive against Ukraine, diplomacy is at a standstill and the two countries have ramped up long-range strikes, resulting in a rise of civilian casualties.

"Over the past night, air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 456 Ukrainian aerial drones," Russia's defence ministry said, specifying that the attacks targeted around fifteen Russian regions and annexed Crimea.

In Tatarstan, in central Russia, "massive" strikes targeted the industrial city of Nizhnekamsk, about 1,600 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, according to a statement from the regional authorities.

The attack, still underway at 0530 GMT, "is being carried out against both industrial and civilian sites. Unfortunately, there are fatalities," the statement said.

Authorities in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, reported that a woman was killed in a drone attack targeting a house in the village of Novaya Tavolzhanka.