KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday praised his forces for hitting military targets inside Russia, after his army reported several strikes including on an airfield and an oil depot.

“I would like to thank each of our soldiers and all those who work in our defence industry for striking Russian airfields, oil refineries and logistics,” he said in his daily statement.

Kyiv has stepped up aerial attacks on Russian territory, saying it carries out the strikes in retaliation for the bombardments Ukraine has faced since Russia invaded more than two years ago.

“Every strike that accurately responds to Russia’s bombs, that destroys Russian logistics, Russian bases, that makes it more difficult for the occupier to stay on our land – every such strike brings the just end of the war closer,” he added.

Earlier a Ukrainian defence source told AFP drones had hit the Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region, destroying an ammunition depot.

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Russian officials did not address claims regarding the destroyed airfield, but local governor Vasily Golubev said on Telegram that authorities introduced a state of emergency in the district of Morozovsk.

The source in the Ukrainian defence sector also said its forces hit a fuel warehouse in the Kamensky district of the Rostov region, where Russian officials earlier reported a drone attack set fire to oil tanks.

Later the Ukrainian armed forces said they had sunk the B-237 Rostov-on-Don submarine in occupied Crimea the day before, and destroyed four missile launchers.

Kyiv has over the course of the war increasingly claimed responsibility for strikes on Russian-held territory.

And Zelensky has been asking allies to lift restrictions to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike Russian-controlled land.

Once again, Zelensky advocated for his army to be allowed to target places “where the occupier is, from which Russia strikes at Ukraine, launches missiles, Shahed drones, bombs”.