Officials report that seven people were killed in Russian drone strikes on Kharkiv in Ukraine war.

At least seven people have been killed in Russian drone attacks on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, officials say. Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that six people were killed when Iranian-made Shahed drones hit several buildings, including apartment blocks, early on Saturday. Another person was killed in a second strike on a residential area.

The attacks on Kharkiv, the closest big city to the Russian border, have been intensifying in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials have expressed concerns that the city might be the target of a future Russian offensive.

“This attack on peaceful residents of Kharkiv once again proves that Russia is a terrorist state,” Mr. Terekhov wrote on the Telegram messaging app after the first attack. At least 11 people were injured in the residential Shevchenkivskyi district, with high-rise buildings, administrative buildings, dormitories, a kindergarten, shops, cafes, and cars all sustaining damage.

Unverified photos published by Ukrainian police showed rescuers at the scene, with damaged and burning buildings visible. Local police reported that Moscow fired two missiles, followed by “repeated shelling,” and then drones that attacked during the rescue operations.

Ukraine’s second-largest city has suffered extensive damage from months of Russian bombardment since President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Polish authorities said fighter jets had been scrambled in response to the latest missile attacks on Ukraine, while authorities in Kyiv activated air defenses to repel an attack on the capital. Ukraine’s military reported that its air defenses successfully destroyed 28 of 32 drones and three of six missiles launched by Russia.

Recent attacks in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia have left a total of at least 15 people dead and dozens more wounded, further escalating the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.