Kharkiv came under a massive Russian drone attack late on Friday night, as Putin's army continues its bombardment of Ukraine's second largest city. Fires broke out throughout the city, with initial reports suggesting that as many as 46 people have been injured.

Ihor Terekhov, the city's mayor, said 12 locations in four central districts of the city had been hit. He added that a drone struck a house, injuring an 11-year-old child among others.

Ukraine's President denounced the attacks, accusing Russia of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure.

In a post on his Telegram Channel, Volodymyr Zelensky wrote: "There were no military targets, nor could there be any.

"Russia strikes dwellings when Ukrainians are in their homes, when they are putting their children to bed.”

The number of casualties could rise, Kharkiv's regional governor Oleh Syniehubov warned.

Kharkiv, just 30 kilometres from the Russian border, has come under heavy sustained attacks in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, at least 47 people were injured following another huge drone attack.

The injured included a 5-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy and a 24-year-old pregnant woman, local authorities reported.

Russia has stepped up its attacks against Ukrainian citizens over the last few weeks, in an attempt to sow terror among the population.

In March, at least 164 civilians were killed and 910 were injured, according to UN figures.

This represents a rise of 50% compared to February, and 70% compared to March of last year.

Nearly all the losses were on land controlled by the Ukrainian government, and the majority were caused by long-range missiles or loitering munitions.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called for increased air defence support to protect major cities like Kharkiv from Russia's continued aerial assaults.