Blasts, fresh drone attacks rock Russian-held areas far from Ukraine war front

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attend a meeting, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lviv, Ukraine August 18, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

KYIV (Reuters) -Russia reported fresh Ukrainian drone attacks on Friday evening, a day after explosions erupted near military bases in Russian-held areas of Ukraine and Russia itself, apparent displays of Kyiv's growing ability to pummel Moscow's assets far from front lines.

The latest incidents followed huge blasts last week at an air base in Russian-annexed Crimea. In a new assessment, a Western official said that incident had rendered half of Russia's Black Sea naval aviation force useless in a stroke.