In addition to missiles, Ukraine has used long-range drones of its own build to attack Russian energy assets. A Ukrainian drone hit a terminal for gas condensate transshipment in the port of Ust-Luga,

The military said that Russia has seized the facility to coordinate attacks against Ukrainian forces and civilians, especially in Kurakhove. Russia announced a full capture of Kurakhove earlier this week.

Ukraine has denied Russian claims that they have captured a key town in the eastern Donetsk region, but admitted that the situation looks desperate. Russia claimed control of the eastern town of Kurakhove on Monday, after months of heavy fighting. The town has been decimated by continuous Russian shelling.

The claim, which drew no response from Ukrainian authorities, came a day after the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces had launched a new thrust in Russia’s Kursk border region.

Russian defence officials claimed Ukrainian troops were urged to surrender after precise strikes on their positions. Paratrooper units targeted Ukrainian command posts, and drones with loudspeakers called for surrenders.

Ukraine claimed on Tuesday that its forces had conducted a “high-precision” strike on a Russian military command post in the Kursk region during “combat operations”. However, Kyiv later backtracked and said it had launched fresh offensive operations in the area.