No fewer than 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.

Governor Oleh Syniehubov and Mayor Ihor Terekhov made this announcement via Telegram on Thursday morning, saying one resident and three rescue workers were among the dead in the residential area.

According to them, the rescue workers were working at the impact site when the Russian army attacked again, adding that several buildings were damaged, including a multi storey residential building.

Out 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.

They added that the Ukrainian air defense 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, with energy plants in Kharkiv being targeted, resulting in widespread power cuts.