Ukrainian forces continue to target Russian military supplies and warehouses far behind the front lines in the southern region of Kherson, according to regional officials.
Ukrainian fire destroyed "the warehouses [and] rear reserves of the occupiers," Serhii Khlan, adviser to the head of the Kherson military administration, told Ukrainian television.
Khlan said that before dawn on Friday, there was "a powerful explosion" in Nova Kakhovka, a town occupied by Russian forces in Kherson.
Their warehouses are placed "far from the front line" as they think it will protect the rear, "but we see hits," Khlan said. "In recent days we have been constantly hearing about explosions at the warehouses of the occupiers — in Kherson, in Nova Kakhovka, in Chernobaivka."
Khlan claimed that there had been three attacks on warehouses in Nova Kakhovka. A video from the area soon after dawn Friday showed thick smoke rising from an unknown location.
The pro-Russian authorities now in control of Kherson say that Ukrainian saboteurs have been detained.
Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-backed military-civilian administration, said "Russian special services detained three saboteurs who were planning assassination attempts on the leaders of the region and military personnel of the [Russian] Armed Forces."
Stremousov claimed that authorities had uncovered the command structure of "agent networks organized in the Kherson region by the SBU [Security Service of Ukraine] and Ukrainian military intelligence."
Some background: In recent days, Ukraine has stepped up attacks in both Donetsk and Kherson against Russian supply lines and storage depots as it tries to hinder Russian operations.
The US director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, said the Kremlin "faces rising partisan activity in southern Ukraine" during a conference in Washington DC last month.
US officials added that they believe Russia does not have enough forces in Kherson to effectively occupy and control the region, with three assassination attempts against pro-Russian officials in June suggesting a burgeoning resistance movement among the Ukrainians.