Oleg Synegubov, the region’s governor, said two men were killed in Kharkiv’s northern Shevchenkivskyi district.

Police confirmed the deaths and said a further eight people were hospitalised “with blast injuries and shrapnel wounds”.

“Among the wounded are two women aged 25 and 52, and six men aged 23 to 76,” police said.

Police added that there were no casualties in a separate attack on Mala Danylivka, a village on Kharkiv’s northwest outskirts.

Photos released by police on Telegram showed several fires in civilian areas, including near a high-rise apartment building.Authorities said several buildings were damaged in the attack, including residential blocks and a petrol station.The attack came as Ukraine’s air force reported multiple groups of Russian drones across the country.