Russian drones kill 3 children among 7 in Ukraine

At least seven people, including three children, have been killed in an overnight Russian drone attack that hit a petrol station in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv in Ukraine, BBC reports quoting officials concerned.

The drones hit a petrol station and caused large fires in a residential area in the east of the city, regional head Oleh Syniehubov said.

Five members of one family, including a baby and two children, were among the victims, he said.

Russia’s military has made no public comments on the reported strikes.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said “The Russian aggressor is ruining our city” in a video message from the scene.

“But we will overcome. We will win,” he added.

The three children - aged 7, 4 and seven months - were killed alongside their parents when their home caught fire late on Friday, Mr Syniehubov said.

A couple, aged 66 and 65, died in another house that was set ablaze, and three other people were reported wounded.

The houses caught fire after three drones hit a petrol station in the Nemyshlianskyi district, according to the local prosecutor’s office in Kharkiv.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said 50 people were rescued from the fire but more than a dozen houses were completely destroyed.

One man was reported injured in Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa in a separate Russian drone attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion against Ukraine in February 2022.