Four people have been killed and another 19 injured in a mass Russian drone attack on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, the regional head has said.
Serhiy Lysak said a restaurant complex and several residential buildings were ablaze after the attack late on Friday.
He said that “the enemy sent more than 20 drones” on the city, and that “most of them were shot down”.
Images and videos later emerged showing firefighters tackling large fires engulfing hit buildings, and smashed glass and other debris scattered on the city streets.
Overnight, air sirens were heard sounding in several other Ukrainian regions, including the capital Kyiv. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.
The Russian military has not commented on the issue.
In his video address late on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again accused Russia of targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure – in violation of a temporary moratorium agreed earlier this month in talks involving the US.
Moscow has also repeatedly blamed Ukraine for attacking Russia’s energy sector.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week suggested that Ukraine should temporarily be placed under UN control to elect what he called a more “competent” government.
It was seen as the latest attempt by the Kremlin to challenge the legitimacy of the Kyiv government – a move widely condemned by Ukraine’s allies.
Ukraine accused Putin of proposing “crazy” ideas to delay further movement towards a ceasefire deal being championed by US President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Washington said the two sides had agreed to a limited truce in the Black Sea.
But Russia then put forward a list of conditions including lifting of some Western sanctions, prompting concerns that Moscow was trying to derail any moves towards a ceasefire.
In a separate development, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France and the UK were putting forward plans for a reassurance force” in Ukraine.
The proposal was discussed at a summit in Paris of a “coalition of the willing” – Ukraine’s allies from more than 30 countries.
Russia has repeatedly warned that the deployment of any European troops in Ukraine is unacceptable, and such forces would be seen by the Kremlin as a legitimate target.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
