At least four people have been killed and 12 others injured in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv as a result of a heavy Russian drone attack, official reports said on Thursday.
Governor Oleh Syniehubov and Mayor Ihor Terekhov announced on Telegram on Thursday morning that one resident and three rescue workers were among the dead in the residential area.
The rescue workers had just been working at the impact site in the residential area when the Russian army attacked again.
According to the authorities, several buildings were damaged, including a multistorey residential building, Terekhov wrote.
Of a total of 20 combat drones with which Russia attacked Ukraine during the night, 15 were fired at Kharkiv in several waves, they also reported, adding that the Ukrainian air defence was only able to fend off some of them.
The Kharkiv region borders Russia and had already been partially occupied at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. It was liberated by the Ukrainian army in the autumn of that year.
In recent weeks, however, Russian shelling has increased again. Energy plants in Kharkiv are also being targeted, resulting in widespread power cuts.