At night, Ukraine struck Russia, claiming it was the biggest attack during the entire war

On Tuesday, Ukraine struck several targets deep in Russia in what it called its “most massive” attack of the war.

Ammunition warehouses and chemical plants were damaged in several areas, some of which are hundreds of kilometers from the border, reports the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Sources in Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service told the BBC that the overnight attack was a “painful blow” to Russia’s ability to wage war.

Russia claimed to have shot down Atacms missiles supplied by the US as well as British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles and vowed to respond to the attack.

At least nine airports in central and western Russia temporarily halted traffic, while strikes forced the closure of schools in the southwestern Saratov region.

The strikes in the border region of Bryansk caused explosions at an oil refinery, ammunition depots and a chemical plant said to produce gunpowder and explosives, a Ukrainian security source told the BBC.

But Kyiv has also struck much deeper into the country, with the General Staff claiming to have struck targets up to 1,100 km (700 miles) from the border.

In the western region of Saratov, officials reported a “massive” drone attack.

Two industrial enterprises in the cities of Engels and Saratov were affected, the governor of the region, Roman Uladzimirovich Busargin, wrote in Telegram.

Students studied online Tuesday after local schools were closed.

Last week, Kyiv said it had struck an oil storage facility in Engels, prompting several days of firefighting efforts and Busgarin declaring a state of emergency.

Officials in the western region of Tula region also reported an overnight attack, where regional governor Dmitry Milayev said Russian air defenses shot down 16 drones.

According to him, there were no casualties, although the wreckage damaged some cars and buildings.

Elsewhere in the southwestern region of Tatarstan, a drone strike hit a gas storage facility near Kazan, with no casualties reported.

Moscow also launched dozens of drones across Ukraine overnight after receiving several warnings of airstrikes in and around Kiev.

Ukraine’s air force said it shot down about 60 of the 80 drones involved in the attack, with no casualties.

Ukraine is trying to fight back, however it can, against Russian military offensives on the ground, a week before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump said yes is preparing to meet with Vladimir Putin upon his return to the White House.

He expressed skepticism about US military and financial support for Kiev and promised to prioritize negotiations to end the war.

He did not specify how he plans to do this.