Mayor says Ukraine's second largest city under 'most powerful attack' since February 2022

Russia attacked Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, at night and in the evening with massive drones, missiles and guided bombs, killing at least four people and injuring more than 60, including a baby, local officials said on Saturday.

Located just a few dozen kilometers from the Russian border, Kharkiv has been under constant Russian shelling during more than three years of war.

"Kharkiv is currently experiencing the most powerful attack since the start of the full-scale war," city mayor Ihor Terekhov said on the Telegram messenger early on Saturday.

Kharkiv governor Oleh Syniehubov said one of the city's civilian industrial facilities was attacked by 40 drones, one missile and four bombs, causing a fire, adding there may still be people under the rubble.

In the evening, Russian aircraft once again attacked Kharkiv with guided bombs, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called "another brutal murder."

"Last night, there was a massive drone strike on Kharkiv, and now there are aerial bombs. Dozens of people have been injured in the past 24 hours."

The Ukrainian military said Russia launched 206 drones, two ballistic and seven other missiles against Ukraine overnight.

It said its air defense units shot down 87 drones. Meanwhile, another 80 drones were lost – referring to the Ukrainian military's use of electronic warfare to redirect them – or they were drone simulators that did not carry warheads.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday said that its forces carried out a nighttime strike on Ukrainian military targets, including ammunition depots, drone assembly workshops, and weaponry repair stations. There was no comment from Moscow on the reports of casualties in Kharkiv.

Russia had in recent days launched massive attacks at Ukraine in response to "terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime" after attacks on Russian railway infrastructure and air bases last weekend, during which a total of 41 Russian warplanes were hit by Ukrainian drones. 

On Thursday night, Russia launched a massive wave of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine. On Friday, Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and Russia's Defense Ministry said the strike on military and military-related targets was in response to what it called Ukrainian "terrorist acts" against Russia. 

(With input from agencies)