Ukrainian drone strikes on southern Russia on Saturday killed a 9-year-old boy and ignited a major oil terminal fire, Russian officials reported.

The attacks came a day after one of the heaviest Russian bombardments on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the nearly three-year war.

The boy died when a drone struck his family’s home near Belgorod, a Russian city close to the Ukrainian border, according to regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. The boy’s mother and 7-month-old sister were injured and hospitalized, Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app.

Photos shared by Gladkov depicted the aftermath of the strike, showing a severely damaged house with its roof and front wall caved in, surrounded by debris.

In another incident, Ukrainian drones targeted an oil terminal in the Oryol region overnight, sparking a massive fire. Ukraine’s General Staff released images of the site engulfed in plumes of smoke, illuminated by a fiery orange glow.

Oryol Governor Andrey Klychkov confirmed that a Ukrainian drone hit a fuel depot, causing the blaze. He later announced that the fire had been contained and reported no casualties.

The strikes underscore the intensifying cross-border conflict as Ukrainian forces increasingly target strategic infrastructure in Russia while Moscow continues its large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Friday’s Russian aerial assault as one of the most severe bombardments to date.

The incidents highlight the escalating tit-for-tat exchanges that continue to devastate civilian and critical infrastructure on both sides of the conflict. (ILKHA)