Russia launched massive drone strikes and artillery fire on Friday in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, killing a 10-year-old, a day after an attack on the same region killed more than 50 people.

Russian forces shelled an apartment building in the eastern city of Kharkiv, where the child was pulled from the building’s rubble, said military reports from Kyiv.

Initial reports said 16 people were injured, including an 11-month-old baby.

A video showed heavy destruction on the street in a residential area.

A rocket hit the street, initial reports said.

On Thursday, missiles fired at a cafe and a store in Kharkiv killed at least 51 civilians, including a six-year-old girl.

On Friday morning, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that the country’s air defence had destroyed 25 of 33 Russian drones.

Once again, the attacks affected the south of Ukraine, including the Odessa region.

In the Danube region, a grain store was damaged, and several trucks caught fire. There were no reported casualties.

More than 110 towns and villages in Ukraine came under Russian artillery fire, the General Staff said, adding that several Russian attacks were repulsed.

Ukrainian forces have been waging a counter-offensive for months to liberate their territories occupied by Russian troops in the east and south of the country.

Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia’s war against it for more than 19 months with Western military aid.

(dpa/NAN)