Ukraine launched attacks on Belgorod and near Moscow as the Russians entered the second day of voting in the presidential election.
Ukrainian bombings in the southern Russian city of Belgorod killed two people and a drone strike caused a fire at a Russian oil refinery south of Moscow, officials said, while Russian authorities claimed to have foiled a new attempt by saboteurs to cross the border.
Saturday's attacks occurred as Russians began the second day of voting in a presidential election that is sure to extend Vladimir Putin's rule for another six years.
A man and a woman were killed in the attack and three other people were wounded, regional governor Viacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app.
It is the latest exchange of long-range missiles and rocket launches in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Five people were also injured when a Ukrainian drone crashed into a car in the village of Glotovo, about two kilometers (1.25 miles) from the border with Ukraine, Gladkov said.
Russia's Defense Ministry also said on Saturday that it had thwarted attempts by “Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups” to enter the country from Ukraine's Sumy region.
This followed an armed incursion claimed by Ukrainian-based Russian opponents of the Kremlin on Tuesday into the Belgorod and Kursk regions.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Moscow's military and security forces killed 30 fighters while foiling the latest raid.
The Russian Volunteer Corps, one of the groups that claimed to have crossed the border on Tuesday and that says it is “fighting for the freedom of the Ukrainian and Russian people,” posted a video on social media on Saturday in which it claims to have captured to 25 Russian soldiers. .
Cross-border attacks in the area have occurred sporadically since the war began and have been the subject of claims and counterclaims, as well as disinformation and propaganda.
Ukrainian drone attacks
A Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at a Russian oil refinery on Saturday that burned for hours before being brought under control.
The Interfax news agency quoted the Emergencies Ministry as saying that “open burning” at the Syzran refinery had stopped, but that measures were still being taken to completely extinguish it.
It was unclear how the fire would affect production at the plant, which has the capacity to process 8.5 million tons of crude oil a year, or 170,000 barrels a day.
An attack on another refinery, Novokuibyshevsk, was thwarted on Saturday, the local governor said. Both plants are owned by Rosneft and are located in the Samara region, southeast of Moscow, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the nearest territory controlled by Ukraine.
A Ukrainian drone also dropped an explosive near a polling station in the Russian-annexed Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia, Russian state news agency TASS said. No injuries or damage were reported.
The attacks come a day after a Russian attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa killed at least 20 people.
The ballistic missile attack destroyed homes in the southern city on Friday, followed by a second missile that targeted first responders who arrived at the scene, authorities said.
More than 50 people remain in hospital after the attacks, Odessa Deputy Mayor Svitlana Bedreha said Saturday, according to Ukrainian state media.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised a “just response” to the attack in a video address on Friday night.
