At least 12 people have been killed and 39 others injured after a Ukrainian drone strike hit the central Russian region of Tatarstan, in one of Kyiv’s deadliest single attacks since the war began more than four years ago.

The regional press service confirmed the casualties on Monday, saying the attack targeted the city of Nizhnekamsk, located more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from Ukraine’s border.

“According to the latest information, 12 people have been killed and 39 wounded as a result of the drone attack,” the regional authorities said in a statement.

Tatarstan, a major energy-producing region, is home to several strategically important oil refineries and industrial facilities that Ukraine has increasingly targeted in long-range retaliatory strikes against Russia.

Unverified footage circulating on social media appeared to show a huge cloud of black smoke rising from an oil facility near Nizhnekamsk following the attack.

The latest strike comes amid a significant escalation in long-range attacks by both Russia and Ukraine this year, with the United Nations warning that the intensification has contributed to a rise in civilian casualties.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air-defence systems intercepted and destroyed 456 Ukrainian drones overnight, although Moscow does not typically disclose how many drones may have reached their intended targets.

Meanwhile, Ukraine reported fresh Russian attacks on its territory.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, five people were killed when Russian forces launched what local authorities described as a massive artillery barrage on the residential area of Bugaivka village in Chuhuiv district.

“Various houses were destroyed as a result of the enemy attack. Five people were killed,” the regional prosecutor’s office said in a statement posted on Telegram, alongside an image showing a house reduced to rubble.

Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia had launched 126 drones during its overnight assault.

Elsewhere, a woman was reportedly killed in a Ukrainian attack in Russia’s border region of Belgorod, while a man was killed when a Russian drone struck a taxi in the frontline Kherson region, according to local officials.

The latest incidents underscore the intensifying cycle of long-range drone and artillery attacks, with civilians on both sides continuing to bear the consequences as the conflict enters its fifth year.