The Russian military hammered several Ukrainian cities with a large-scale missile and drone attack on Friday, claiming to have targeted the country's arms industry. The move comes just days after Kiev's forces carried out a major operation which crippled dozens of Russian warplanes.

Russia's Defense Ministry announced the overnight strikes in a statement on Friday afternoon, saying they were "retaliation to the Kiev regime's terrorist attacks."

"The Russian Armed Forces delivered a massive strike by air-launched, seaborne and ground-based long-range precision weapons," the ministry said, adding that the targets included "enterprises producing and repairing Ukraine's armament and military hardware."

Writing on Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack left at least four people dead and some 80 injured, condemning the operation as a "cynical Russian strike on ordinary cities." He added that Kiev, Ternopil, Lutsk and several other regions were targeted with "more than 400 drones" and at least 40 missiles, but claimed Ukrainian forces had shot down "a significant part" of them.