ISTANBUL

Ukraine said on Monday that at least seven people were killed and 37 others injured in overnight Russian airstrikes on the cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.

Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov said in a statement on Telegram that seven deaths were reported in the region's administrative center after body of another person was recovered from under the rubble.

Earlier, Synyehubov said four Russian drones struck a five-story apartment building in the northeastern city’s Industrialnyi district, sparking fires on three floors.

He said 20 people were injured in the attack, and search and rescue efforts were underway.

Late Sunday, the governor had said the city was struck by a ballistic missile, injuring ​​11 people, including a 13-year-old child, and damaging more than 10 residential buildings.

Meanwhile, Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram at least 17 people were injured after an overnight strike that also hit the region's administrative center in southeastern Ukraine.

"Shops and a bus stop were set on fire, while a minibus, residential buildings, and a workshop of one of the city's enterprises were damaged," Fedorov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defined the attacks as "demonstrative and cynical" as he prepares to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington, which will also include European leaders.

"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts. That is precisely why we are seeking assistance to put an end to the killings," he said on social media.

"That is why reliable security guarantees are required. That is why Russia should not be rewarded for its participation in this war. The war must be ended. And it is Moscow that must hear the word: 'Stop.'"

Zelenskyy said the overnight attack also targeted an energy facility owned by an Azerbaijani company in the port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine.

Separately, Ukraine’s air force claimed air defenses shot down 88 of 140 Russian drones overnight, and that four Iskander-M ballistic missiles were launched by Moscow.

Russian authorities did not immediately comment on the claims.

Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Russian border, has been regularly targeted by airstrikes in the nearly three-and-a-half-year war.

Zaporizhzhia, about 32 kms (20 miles) north of the front line between Russia and Ukraine, has also been the target of regular airstrikes.