Ukrainian drone strikes killed four people and injured seven in Russia on Monday, with most of the casualties reported in the Moscow region, according to local officials, as Kyiv intensified its cross-border attacks in response to sustained Russian strikes.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted sites inside Russia, particularly energy infrastructure, arguing that the attacks are a legitimate response to more than four years of Russian bombardment of its territory.
Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said three people were killed and three others injured after a drone crashed in the settlement of Pionersky in the Istra district.
"In the settlement of Pionersky in Istra, three people were killed and three more wounded as a result of a drone falling," he wrote on Telegram.
Vorobyov added that two more people were injured elsewhere in the region and said air defence systems had shot down 81 drones over the Moscow region.
In Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, local authorities said a woman was killed in a drone strike in the town of Berezovka, while two men were injured in Krinichnoye.
Further south, drones struck the Stavropol region, causing a fire in an industrial zone, according to Governor Vladimir Vladimirov.
"The attack has caused a fire in the industrial zone in... Vyazniki, Shpakovsky district," he said on Telegram.
He said emergency and firefighting teams were at the scene and that no casualties had been reported. "The drone threat continues to be in effect across the entire region. Be vigilant and careful," he added.
The attacks came as Ukraine's allies gathered in Paris on Monday for talks on increasing pressure on Russia to end the war.
US-led diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire have stalled in recent months as Washington has shifted its attention towards its conflict with Iran.
