Ukraine has sunk a Russian submarine and hit a Russian airfield in the past 24 hours, in line with a surge of long-range attacks against Russian targets, officials said.

Russia said Ukrainian drones also hit an apartment building, killing one person.

The uptick in attacks since July comes as Ukraine mounts pressure on allies to allow it to use long-range missiles to strike targets in Russia. Western allies, in particular the US, have so far resisted, fearing escalation from Moscow.

Ukraine struck a Russian Kilo-class submarine and an S-400 anti-aircraft missile complex in the Moscow-occupied Crimean peninsula, according to a statement from the General Staff on Saturday.

The air defence system was established to protect the Kerch Strait Bridge, an important logistics and transport hub supplying Russian forces.

Russia military ship at sea just off a coast, with a large bridge in the background
A Russian military landing ship sailing not far from Kerch, Crimea, last month (AP)

Units of the missile forces as well as the navy damaged four launchers of the Triumph air defence system, while in the port of Sevastopol, the Rostov-on-Don – a submarine of Russia’s Black Sea fleet – was attacked and sank, the statement said.

The General Staff also confirmed that Ukrainian forces struck the Morozovsk airfield in the Rostov region after launching a massive drone barrage on Russia. Hits were recorded in warehouses with ammunition, where guided aerial bombs were stored.

The operation was carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Directorate of Intelligence and the Defence Ministry, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a woman was killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on an apartment building in the town of Shebekino early on Sunday. Ukrainian drones also damaged several other buildings in the town, he said.

Mr Gladkov said eight civilians have been wounded in the region by Ukrainian shelling and dozens of drone strikes since Saturday.

In the span of a month, Russia has experienced a surge in the tempo of Ukrainian drone barrages and long-range attacks, targeting Russian military infrastructure, including airfields and oil depots. Analysts say such an intensification is needed if Ukraine is to degrade Russian capabilities.