Russia says 605 Ukrainian drones downed overnight

Russia's defence ministry said Thursday that air defences shot down 605 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territory and the annexed Crimean Peninsula.

The ministry said the drones were intercepted and destroyed during the night. It flagged attacks in the Tver region, about 180 kilometres northwest of Moscow, where local authorities reported damage to a logistics centre belonging to Russian e-commerce company Wildberries.

Tver regional governor Vitaly Korolyov said air defences repelled the Ukrainian attack. He said debris from one drone slightly damaged the facade of the Wildberries logistics centre and that no one was wounded.

Mikhail Yevrayev, governor of the Yaroslavl region about 250 kilometres north of Moscow, reported what he called the region's "most massive attack". He said 92 drones were shot down there and that debris caused fires in houses and damaged cars.

Ukraine has repeatedly struck Wildberries sites across Russia since mid-July. The company is a major online commerce platform.

More than four years after Russia's large-scale offensive against Ukraine began, diplomacy is at a standstill and both countries are increasing long-range strikes, with civilian casualties rising.