Russia, Ukraine drone attacks kill civilians in Tatarstan and Odesa

Russia and Ukraine traded overnight drone strikes that killed and injured civilians from Tatarstan to Odesa. The attacks deepened pressure on oil infrastructure, exports and border routes as the war escalates before winter.Civilians were killed and injured overnight as Russia and Ukraine launched fresh waves of drone attacks at each other, with damage reported on both sides.Two people were killed in Russia's Tatarstan region, while Ukrainian authorities said Russian attacks hit the Black Sea port of Odesa and sparked a fire near a border crossing with Poland. In recent weeks, Russia has stepped up its air campaign, using ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to get through Ukraine's defences as Kyiv's stock of missile interceptors runs low. Ukrainian officials say Moscow has also targeted the power grid ahead of winter to demoralise civilians.According to the office of Tatarstan regional head Rustam Minnikhanov, two civilians were killed and 12 others were injured on Sunday when Ukrainian drones struck Nizhnekamsk. The statement said the two died after a drone hit a tree near their parked car. Nizhnekamsk is home to a major cluster of oil refineries and petrochemical, rubber and polymer plants, including some of Russia's largest such facilities. Mayor Radmir Belyaev said a fire had broken out "at one of the city's enterprises", without giving details.Ukraine's recent long-range strikes have focused on Russia's oil and gas sector, which Kyiv says helps fund and fuel Moscow's war effort. On Sunday, Ukraine said it had also hit a major oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban in Russia's Krasnodar region, across from Crimea. The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said its drones struck a key oil processing unit and the refinery's tank farm overnight, causing a massive blaze visible from dozens of kilometres away. Authorities in Krasnodar said the strike on "an enterprise" in Slavyansk-on-Kuban injured three people, damaged an oil pipeline and started a fire, but did not directly respond to the Ukrainian claim. Russia's defence ministry said its forces shot down 389 Ukrainian drones overnight over Tatarstan, other Russian regions and Russian-occupied Crimea. In Ukraine, at least nine people were injured in what Serhii Lysak, head of Odesa's military administration, called a "massive" Russian nighttime attack on the port city. Odesa, Ukraine's main port hub on the Black Sea, has faced repeated drone and missile strikes for months, with Kyiv accusing Moscow of trying to choke off exports. Ukrainian officials also said a Russian drone attack on Saturday hit a residential high-rise in Odesa, killing two people and injuring 26 others. Regional head Oleh Kiper said the building's upper floors were completely destroyed.Russian strikes also hit western Ukraine through the night, though there were no immediate reports of casualties. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and a spokesperson for the local customs force said one drone struck near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing with Poland, setting a petrol station on fire. The latest overnight attacks left civilians dead and injured, damaged energy-linked sites in Russia and added to the pressure on key Ukrainian areas including Odesa and the country's western border region. With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 13, 2026 17:48 IST