Ukraine launched one of its largest aerial attacks of the war, AP reported, as the conflict's cross-border drone and missile campaign continued to intensify.

Russian officials said the Ukrainian operation killed at least six people in Russia. Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih killed two people and wounded 14.

Two accounts, one cycle of attacks

The two accounts describe different parts of the same cycle of reciprocal aerial attacks. Each remains an official claim while damage, targets and casualty totals continue to be assessed.

The escalation is confirmed. The casualty numbers are separate official accounts from Moscow and Kyiv.

A war fought far beyond the front line

The latest exchanges underline how far the war's air campaign now reaches beyond the front line, with civilian safety, air defences and the credibility of real-time claims all central to the story.