At least five people were killed in Ukrainian attacks on Russia and the annexed Crimean peninsula, according to the Russian-appointed governor of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov. Two people, including a child, died in Crimea, and two were wounded.

Drone strikes killed two in Russia's Bryansk region and one in Belgorod. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed 269 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia and Crimea overnight.

Debris from a drone strike sparked a fire at the Poltavskaya oil depot in Krasnodar Krai, local official Alexander Kharitonov reported.

Damage to energy infrastructure from the attacks has forced temporary power cuts across Crimea, Aksyonov said.

In retaliation, Russia attacked three railway locomotives and two petrol stations in Ukraine on Thursday, killing one driver, Ukrainian officials reported.

Russia expelled Romania's consul general in St. Petersburg and ordered the closure of the consulate, a move Romania called "predictable," amid escalating tensions after a Russian drone crashed in Romania last month.

France's navy seized another tanker linked to Russia's "shadow fleet" as part of European efforts to enforce sanctions on Moscow.

Source: www.aljazeera.com