Ukraine and Russia have escalated their shadow war of espionage, sabotage, and assassinations, with both countries claiming a growing list of captured agents, intercepted plots, and cross-border attacks.

At least six people were killed, with over 20 people wounded, into early Saturday as Russia continued to hammer Ukraine with hundreds of drones as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has further dampened hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than three-year-old war.

Kyiv has recently suffered the most intense bombing it has seen since Russia began its full-scale invasion three years ago. On Friday morning, Russia carried out another drone attack on Odessa. The damage is part of a series of sweeping combined attacks that included what Ukrainian media called a "night from hell" in Kyiv on July 4,