Russia has launched a new bid to exert control over the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson by threatening key access roads with its drones and trying to split it in two by striking a vital bridge.

Ukraine’s Security Service said its drones destroyed one jet and damaged four at Saki military airfield overnight, aiming to weaken Russia’s war capability in the occupied Crimea and on the Black Sea.

More than three years into Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukrainians across the country retreat each night to bomb shelters and metro stations in a nightly ritual.