President Zelenskiy said 18 apartments were destroyed in the strike in Odessa
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Western countries to deploy more air defense systems after the attack on Odesa left at least five people dead.
A 3-year-old child was among those killed by a Russian drone in the southern city, officials said. Two other people were killed in strikes elsewhere in Ukraine.
“Russia continues to wage war against civilians,” President Zelenskiy said.
The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces has indicated his intention to replace some military leaders on the Eastern Front.
Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko said in a Telegram post on Saturday that a nine-story building was destroyed in Odessa as a result of “an attack by Russian terrorists.”
Video from the scene showed several floors of the home destroyed.
Several residents of the damaged apartments are still missing.
Officials said at least five people were killed, including a 3-year-old child, eight others were injured and several were still missing.
Separately, it was announced that one person was killed in the Kharkiv region, near the Russian border, and another in the southern Kherson region.
“We need more air defense from our partners. We need to strengthen Ukraine's air shield to further protect our population from Russian terrorism. Air defense systems and air defense missiles,” Zelenskiy said in a social media post. We need to expand the number of facilities.” The system saves lives. ”
The Ukrainian Air Force announced that it shot down 14 and 17 Russian-launched drones overnight.
The Russian military has launched thousands of Iranian drones at targets in Ukraine since Iran invaded the country more than two years ago.
In retaliation, Ukraine targeted Russian facilities, particularly oil facilities.
image source, Getty Images
Emergency services experts are working near a damaged apartment building in St. Petersburg after an alleged drone attack reported by local media.
A drone crashed into a house in St. Petersburg, Russia's second largest city, on Saturday. Officials said about 100 people were evacuated and there were no reports of casualties.
Some Russian media said the incident may have been caused by the crash of a Ukrainian drone heading for a fuel depot. There has been no official confirmation of this from the Kremlin.
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin is now in its third year.
Early Saturday morning, Ukraine's top military commander, General Oleksandr Shirsky, indicated that some commanders on the Eastern Front would be replaced.
Avdiivka was involved in heavy fighting for several months. This week, Ukrainian forces withdrew from two nearby villages, losing even more territory as supplies of arms and ammunition from Western allies run short.
image source, Getty Images
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Shirushkyi spent three days on the Eastern Front.
General Sirsiky said he would replace commanders whose orders or actions threatened the lives of soldiers.
“We have dispatched a group of experts to each brigade where there are problems with the readiness of the command center to share our experience and provide support,” he wrote in the Telegram.
General Shirsky praised some of the brigades and promised to provide them with reserves, ammunition and expertise to support them after hearing the opinions of front-line troops.
He insisted that the situation on the front line “remains difficult but under control.”
