Firefighters in Ukraine try to put out a fire after Russian forces targeted Odessa (French)

Russian security services said that they killed a number of high-ranking Ukrainian officers by targeting a Ukrainian command center in Odessa, while the authorities in the Russian Belgorod province announced that two people were killed and 3 wounded in a Ukrainian bombing of the province.

The Russian TASS news agency quoted security sources as saying that a missile attack on Odessa targeted the "Mriya" clinic, which Ukrainian officers had taken as a center for their activities, according to the source.

The agency had previously announced the killing of about 100 of what it described as foreign mercenaries in the missile strike on the clinic.

Today, Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the bombing of military targets in the Odessa and Sumy regions of Ukraine.

The Ministry spoke - in a statement - about striking military targets in Ukraine using operational tactical air forces, marches, missile units and artillery.

It pointed out the destruction of a workshop for assembling marches in Sumy District, deployment points for Ukrainian forces in the vicinity of the city of Odessa, and 4 observation points for drones.

It also indicated that Russian defenses shot down 108 Ukrainian drones on various axes, as well as 17 missiles, including 15 Czech-made Vampir, an American-made Himars missile, and another Grad.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said - in another statement - that last week it destroyed 3 American-made Patriot air defense systems belonging to the Ukrainian army, without specifying their location.

Fires broke out in two oil refineries in the city of Syzran, east of Moscow, as a result of being targeted by Ukrainian drones (Reuters)

Targeting two refineries

On the other hand, local authorities in the Russian Belgorod province announced that two people were killed and three injured in a Ukrainian bombing of the province.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that its air defenses shot down two Ukrainian drones and 8 Vampir missiles over the province.

The Ministry of Defense stated that it had eliminated what it described as sabotage and reconnaissance groups affiliated with the Ukrainian army that were trying to enter the village of Kozinka in Belgorod District.

As a result, the city authorities announced that they will close commercial centers and schools next Monday and Tuesday.

The governor also announced that air defenses shot down 15 missiles as they approached the city.

In a related context, the governor of the Russian Samara Province, Dmitry Azarov, announced that fires broke out in two oil refineries in the city of Syzran, which is located on the Volga River basin, east of Moscow, as a result of targeting them with drones.

Azarov said that the attack targeted the Syzran and Novokopyshevsky refineries in the province this morning, without causing casualties.

The Russian Interfax news agency quoted the Ministry of Emergencies as saying that a fire had been contained at the Syzran refinery, but measures were still continuing to completely extinguish the fire.

It was not clear how the fire affected production at the refinery, which has a processing capacity of 8.5 million metric tons of crude oil annually, or 170,000 barrels per day.

Rosneft owns both refineries, which are located in the Samara region, southeast of Moscow, about 800 kilometers from the nearest territory controlled by Ukraine.

Ukraine intensified its attacks inside Russia in conjunction with the Russian presidential elections (Reuters)

"Terrorist activities"

Meanwhile, Russia said on Saturday that Ukraine is intensifying "terrorist activities" during the Russian presidential elections in order to attract more support and weapons from the West.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated - in a statement - that in one of these incidents, a drone dropped a missile on a polling station in a part of the Ukrainian Zaporozhye region controlled by Russia.

There were no reports of deaths or injuries in the incident.

Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged - yesterday, Friday - that Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory would not go "without punishment."

Kiev has vowed months ago to move the conflict to the other side of the border, in response to the attacks and bombing that have continued for more than two years.

In recent weeks, Kiev has intensified aerial bombardment, and fighters presenting themselves as anti-Putin Russians say they are carrying out armed incursions, while the Russian army announces that it has repelled attempts by groups from Ukraine to infiltrate the Belgorod region.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies