Kiev's forces targeted three cities in the Rostov region overnight, according to local governor

Ukrainian drones attacked multiple cities in southern Russia, killing civilians and damaging residential and port infrastructure in the Rostov region, Governor Yury Slyusar has said.

According to the regional head, the cities of Rostov-on-Don, Bataysk and Taganrog came under attack early Thursday morning. "Unfortunately, as a result of the UAV strikes, civilians were killed and injured," Slyusar wrote on social media.

In Rostov, a drone strike on the city's port set a cargo vessel on fire. Two crew members were killed and three others were injured. The blaze was extinguished after spreading across an area of about 20 square meters, the governor said.

In the nearby city of Bataysk, two private houses caught fire following drone strikes. Seven people were wounded, with three rushed to hospital. One of them later died from their injuries, Slyusar said.

Emergency services also reported damage to civilian infrastructure in both cities. In Rostov, a newly built high-rise apartment complex in the western part of the city was damaged, though no casualties were recorded there.

The governor offered condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. He said municipal commissions would document all damage and that authorities would provide assistance to those affected.

The Russian Defense Ministry said air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 77 Ukrainian drones overnight between 11pm and 7am Moscow time. Of these, 31 were shot down over Bryansk Region, 11 over Crimea and the Black Sea, four over Belgorod and three over Rostov.

Russian officials have previously accused Kiev of deliberately targeting civilian sites, linking the surge in Ukrainian attacks to growing US pressure on Vladimir Zelensky to accept a peace deal with Russia that would require concessions Kiev has so far refused to make.

Russia has conducted own strikes on military-related Ukrainian infrastructure for months, saying the attacks are retaliation for Kiev's "terrorist" raids and aim to degrade Ukraine's drone and weapons production capabilities.