Russian drone attack kills seven in Ukraine's Kharkiv: governor

KYIV: Seven people, including three children, were killed Saturday in a Russian drone attack on a petrol station in the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, the regional governor said.

“Unfortunately, the death toll from the occupiers’ attacks on Kharkiv has risen to seven,” Oleg Synegubov said on the Telegram social network.

“Among them are three children: 7, 4 years old and a baby about six months old.”

The attack sprayed nearby homes with burning fuel forcing at least 50 people to evacuate, Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov said earlier.

“The enemy’s Shaheds (Iranian-made drones) hit a petrol station, causing burning fuel to spill out and 14 private houses to burn,” he said, adding the fire was burning across a wide area.

Kharkiv regional prosecutor Oleksandr Filachkov said three drones hit Kharkiv’s Nemyshlyanskyi district.

“As a result, an object of critical infrastructure was destroyed. There was a large amount of fuel, which is why the consequences of the fire were so terrible,” he said, referring to the petrol station.

Saturday’s strike followed a string of night-time attacks in Kharkiv and a village east of the regional capital.