Russian drones and missiles target Ukrainian city of Kharkiv

A residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, after a Russian drone and missile attack (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

A large Russian drone and missile attack has targeted the city of Kharkiv in Ukraine, killing at least three people and injuring 21, local Ukrainian officials said.

The Russian barrage – the latest in near-daily widescale attacks by Moscow – included deadly aerial glide bombs that have become part of fierce Russian attacks in the three-year war.

Kharkiv’s mayor Ihor Terekhov said the attack also damaged 18 blocks of flats and 13 private homes. Citing preliminary data, he said Russia used 48 Shahed drones, two missiles and four aerial glide bombs in the attack.

A woman reacts as she looks at the aftermath of a drone and missile attack on a building in Kharkiv (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)

The intensity of the Russian attacks on Ukraine over the past weeks has further dampened hopes that the warring sides could reach a peace deal soon, especially after Kyiv recently embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia.

The attack also came after US President Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine’s attack on Sunday on Russian military airfields.

It was also hours after Mr Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while” before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. Mr Trump’s comments were a remarkable detour from his often-stated appeals to stop the war and signalled he may be giving up on recent peace efforts.