Ukraine Hits Command Post; Russia Says It Downed 59 Drones

Ukraine's military on Thursday said it struck a Russian command post belonging to the 58th Combined Arms Army near the town of Berdyansk in the Russian-occupied part of Zaporizhzhia. Kyiv's general staff said the strike caused casualties among Russian personnel but provided no further details. Reuters was not able to independently verify the Ukrainian claim. Russia's defence ministry said its air defences had intercepted 59 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles across several regions, including 45 over the Rostov region that borders Ukraine. The ministry said there were no casualties or damage and described the operation as “one of the largest attempts by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack on Russian territory using unmanned aerial vehicles.” Independent confirmation of the Russian account could not be obtained. The exchange underscores an escalation in long-range strikes by both sides. Ukrainian forces have stepped up operations that strike into Russian-held areas and, increasingly, into territory inside Russia, targeting military facilities and energy infrastructure. Moscow has answered with its own missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and logistics, while both militaries continue to rely heavily on various types of drones for reconnaissance, strike and disruption roles. Analysts say the pattern of near-daily long-range attacks is testing the limits of air-defence systems on both sides and increasing the risks of wider spillover. For Kyiv, strikes on Russian command-and-control nodes serve to disrupt frontline coordination and to signal offensive reach; for Moscow, shooting down large numbers of drones is both a defensive necessity and a public-relations objective to show the Kremlin can protect its territory. Verification remains difficult amid the fog of war, and claims of casualties or material damage should be treated cautiously until independent sources confirm them. Fighting also continues in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have pressed toward strategic towns such as Pokrovsk. The nearly three-year conflict has inflicted heavy military and civilian losses and displaced millions, while international actors watch closely for signs that recent surges in attacks could shape the timing or terms of any future negotiations.