Russia's war on Ukraine latest news: Third Russian airfield ablaze from drone strike

* Russia said three of its military personnel were killed on Monday in what it said were Ukrainian drone attacks on two Russian air bases hundreds of miles from the front lines in Ukraine.

A third Russian airfield was ablaze on Tuesday from a drone strike, a day after Ukraine demonstrated an apparent new ability to penetrate hundreds of kilometers deep into Russian air space with attacks on two Russian air bases. FIGHTING

* A drone struck an airfield in the Russian region of Kursk bordering Ukraine, setting fire to an oil storage tank, the regional governor said. * Russia said three of its military personnel were killed on Monday in what it said were Ukrainian drone attacks on two Russian air bases hundreds of miles from the front lines in Ukraine. Kyiv did not directly claim responsibility.

* Ukraine's military intelligence chief said Russia had enough high-precision missiles to conduct several more big air strikes on Ukraine before it runs out of stocks. * Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Ukraine was continuing to shell the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, deliberately creating the threat of a possible nuclear disaster. Ukraine denies shelling the Russian-controlled facility.

* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited troops close to front lines in the eastern Donbas region to mark the country's Armed Forces Day on Tuesday. * Russia and Ukraine said they had exchanged 60 prisoners of war on each side in the latest of a series of such swaps.

* Opposition representatives from five Russian regional councils sent appeals urging President Vladimir Putin to issue a decree to end the partial military mobilisation he announced in September to boost Moscow's invasion force in Ukraine. ANALYSIS

* Twin strikes on air bases deep inside Russian territory have dealt Moscow a major reputational blow and raised questions about why its defences failed, analysts said, as attention turned to the use of drones in the war between neighbours. * Ukrainians astonished the world - and themselves - in 2022, withstanding an all-out military assault by a superpower meant to crush them within days. Now, with the war's first winter setting in, it is Russia that is on the defensive, drafting in hundreds of thousands of reservists to protect remaining occupied territory - about a fifth of Ukraine.

ENERGY * Ukraine's health ministry said it was asking regional officials to

consider suspending non-essential surgeries until the energy situation inside the country stabilizes.

* About half the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital will remain without electricity for the coming days after the latest Russian missile strikes on power facilities, the Kyiv regional governor said. * The Biden administration will convene a virtual meeting on Thursday with oil and gas executives to discuss how the United States can support Ukrainian energy infrastructure, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

DIPLOMACY * Hungary vetoed an 18-billion-euro ($19 bln) loan to Ukraine from the European Union as its row with the bloc over democratic backsliding rumbled on and the other 26 member states delayed a decision on releasing billions of aid to Budapest.

* The United States and Russia accused each other of not being interested

in Ukraine peace talks as calls grow at the United Nations for a ceasefire and diplomacy to end the war started by Moscow's invasion nine months ago. QUOTES

"Very often Russians smoke in places where it's forbidden to smoke." -Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleskiy Reznikov, repeating a longstanding Ukrainian joke that explosions at Russian bases are caused by careless cigarette smokers. (Compiled by Gareth Jones and Mark Heinrich)