In Russia, the impact of Ukraine's missile and drone strikes on energy infrastructure from Moscow to the Black Sea and beyond has long been evident. Drivers in the Russia-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea banned from filling their tanks so priority can be given to military vehicles. But such is the gravity of the situation it has now been explicitly acknowledged by President Vladimir Putin for the first time. Over the weekend, Russia's president discussed the crisis with senior officials and oil executives. And in public remarks, he was unusually frank. You're well aware that problems persist for both motorists and businesses, he told the meeting.

Is the war entering a new phase? It was, perhaps, Ukraine's quietest victory over Russia's oldest and closest ally. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged neighbouring Belarus to shut down four Moscow-installed relay stations that help guide Russian drone attacks on Ukraine. The stations - originally cellular communication towers - relay signals for Russian drone operators and allow their unmanned aircraft to exchange information with each other and fly deep into western Ukraine, which has few drone interceptors and NATO-supplied air defence systems. The relayers did "make the signal stronger" and the Russian attacks "more precise", Andriy Pronin, one of the pioneers of drone warfare in Ukraine, told Al Jazeera.

Is the war entering a new phase? Russia-Ukraine war: Why has Putin rejected limits on long-range strikes? Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow will continue its more than four-year-long war on Ukraine, rejecting Kyiv's proposals to limit the use of long-range missiles and stop hostilities. In an interview with Russia's state television service on Sunday, Putin said Ukraine had proposed a mutual halt to long-range attacks as a step towards peace. But the Russian president suggested this proposal was made because Kyiv's forces were under pressure along the 1,250km (775-mile) front line.

Is the war entering a new phase? Russia has reported that it downed 660 drones overnight, as Ukraine maintains a barrage that is straining Russian air defences and energy infrastructure. The number of drones shot down marks one of Kyiv's biggest launches of long-range strikes, Russia's Ministry of Defence stated on Friday. That has stoked concern that Moscow may try to pull ally Belarus into the conflict, launched when it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The latest wave of Ukrainian drones saw Russia intercept unmanned aircraft over 13 regions, including the capital, Moscow, and the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula, as well as the Black and Azov seas.

Smoke rises from Crimea Bridge on Monday. The Ukrainian army is pounding supply routes and striking energy facilities across Crimea. Warsaw - For Yulia, a 23-year-old resident of Crimea, nights have become sleepless due to increased Ukrainian drone attacks on the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Kyiv's army is pounding supply routes and striking energy facilities across the Black Sea territory -- a campaign it sees as fair retribution for Moscow's daily barrages of Ukrainian cities, and one that it hopes will turn the tide of the four-year war in its favor. On Thursday, the Moscow-installed governor of Crimea announced power cuts across the peninsula, which despite the war had been a popular holiday destination for Russians. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Is the war entering a new phase? Ukrainian strikes on Russian-occupied Crimea have triggered power outages in its largest city, Sevastopol, according to statements from both sides, as Kyiv intensifies attacks on the peninsula Moscow annexed in 2014. Crimea has been forced to suspend fuel sales to the public as Ukraine's army targets Russian logistics to the region and has hit a series of oil refineries and depots across southern Russia that provide supplies. "The enemy is once again striking treacherously, attempting to deprive us of normal living conditions and sow panic," he posted. He said some areas of the city - where temperatures are approaching 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) - would be without power until at least Wednesday evening.

Moscow oil refinery attack brings Russia's war with Ukraine closer to home There are moments when life in Moscow feels completely normal. In the south-east of the city an oil refinery had been hit during a Ukrainian drone attack - even from a distance the sight was surreal. Thick smoke billowing from the direction of the facility had turned the sky dark. Like a giant black shroud, it hung over the Moscow skyline. As extraordinary and eye-catching this was, so was the reaction of people near the refinery.

Is the war entering a new phase? Russia has renewed its strikes on Ukraine, killing three people including an eight-year-old girl, Ukrainian officials said. The Russian strikes on Friday come a day after Ukraine launched its biggest-ever drone attack on Moscow, killing a different eight-year-old girl and sparking an inferno at a major oil refinery, according to Russian officials. Between late Thursday and early Friday, Russia launched 90 drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force. "An eight-year-old girl was killed. These are the consequences of this morning's enemy attack on Pavlohrad," Oleksandr Ganzha, the governor of Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, said.

Is Vladimir Putin Finally Feeling Pressure? The Russian President is facing growing domestic discontent after a series of successful attacks by the Ukrainian Army, including a major attack on Moscow. The war in Ukraine, which not long ago seemed to be turning in favor of Vladimir Putin's invading Russian Army, appears to have undergone another reversal. Thanks in part to its drone campaign, the Ukrainians have, according to some analysts, " turned the tide," putting pressure on Putin to potentially accept a ceasefire in the coming months. At the same time, there have been bubbles of discontent forming within Russia, over the cost of the war and government crackdowns on internet access. To understand what might be happening in Russia, and how the Putin regime might respond, I recently e-mailed several rounds of questions to Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, and the founder of the political analysis organization R.Politik. Our conversation, edited for length and clarity, is below.

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow, striking a major oil refinery and sending thick black smoke over the capital, according to Russian officials.