Civilians have also endured hardship caused by Russian attacks on the power grid that have denied them heating and running water. Many have been evacuated from areas along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line where Ukrainian defenses are straining to hold the bigger Russian army at bay.

Russia's defence ministry said late on Thursday that air defence units had downed 17 Ukrainian drones in four southern regions in a period of just over two hours. A ministry statement said 11 of the 17 drones were downed between 7:50 p.