Russia-Ukraine war live: four killed in overnight drone attack on Kharkiv

Two people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Kherson region, Russian-installed official Andrey Alekseenko said today, Reuters reported.

Around 350,000 residents are without power in the Kharkiv region following an overnight drone attack, Reuters reported citing the Ukrainian energy ministry.

In an unusually pro-western speech, the Hungarian foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, said at a ceremony marking Nato’s 75th anniversary that “now we are a proud member of the world’s strongest defence alliance.”

“We are proud to be a reliable ally – a reliable ally which contributes and is committed to contribute to the safety and security of our community,” he said, adding: “We are proud to be here, and our predecessors are proud as well, that we are finally here.”

“Ukraine’s fight for freedom is NATO’s fight for a stronger future. And today, Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before,” Ukraine’s mission to Nato said as the alliance marks its 75th anniversary today.

Foreign ministers from Nato’s 32 members are gathering for a second day in Brussels today. They are marking the 75-year anniversary of the defensive alliance, and will also hold talks with Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba.

Later in the day, the minister will also meet with representatives of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the EU.

Good morning, the time has just passed 10am in Kyiv and Moscow.

Associated Press has reported that Russian troops launched waves of Shahed drones against Kharkiv overnight. The regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said that four people were killed and 12 were wounded.

Russia attacked Ukraine’s second-biggest city with at least 15 drones, some of which were shot down by air defences.

Three rescuers were killed when Russia struck a multi-storey building damaged in an earlier strike. Six people were wounded at that location. Another 14-storey building was hit by a drone, killing a 69-year-old woman.

Kharkiv has become a frequent target for Russian troops in recent weeks. The eastern city is close to the border with Russia and has been hit with both ballistic missiles and drones.

A recent massive missile attack that aimed to significantly damage Ukraine’s energy infrastructure plunged most of Kharkiv into darkness, and the situation there is still being stabilised.

“Each manifestation of Russian terror once again proves that the country-terrorist deserves only one thing — a tribunal,” Ukraine’s human rights chief, Dmytro Lubinets, published on Telegram in response to the attack.