NEW DELHI: Russia said that it had intercepted 20 drones and two ballistic missiles on Thursday, in regions adjacent to Ukraine, notably in Rostov, where its command headquarters for the Ukraine offensive is situated.

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

As per the Russian defence ministry, they had neutralised a total of 20 drones, 16 of which were downed. Two Tochka-U missiles and five balloons tried to deflect the attention of air defence systems, it said.

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

Earlier on Wednesday, a Russian missile attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv killed 17 civilians, while 60 others, including three children were injured.

The strike also damaged four buildings, a hospital, an education facility and dozens of private cars, he added in a statement on Telegram. 

Regional leader Vyacheslav Chaus said civilians were killed and injured when three missiles hit close to the city centre. 

Chaus told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that Russia attacked with three Iskander cruise missiles. 

The attack on Chernihiv came hours after reports surfaced about a Ukrainian attack on a Russian military base in occupied Crimea. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media, "Unfortunately, the death toll may still rise. This would not have happened if Ukraine had received a sufficient number of air defense systems and if the world's determination to counter Russian terror had been sufficient."

Russia, which denies targeting civilians, invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has launched thousands of missiles and drones on Ukrainian cities and villages in attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians.

In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian cities, targeting the country's power sector and other critical infrastructure.