Russia says neutralised 20 drones, 2 missiles

Russia on Thursday said it had neutralised 20 drones and two ballistic missiles in areas bordering Ukraine, including Rostov where its command headquarters for the Ukraine offensive is located.

"During the night, several terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime were foiled," the defence ministry said.

It said it had neutralised 20 drones -- 16 of which were downed -- and two Tochka-U missiles as well as five balloons aimed at deflecting the attention of air defence systems.

The 16 drones and two missiles were shot down in the Belgorod region which has faced near-daily Ukrainian strikes.

Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia in recent weeks, targeting energy infrastructure.