Moscow, 2 March 2024 (dpa/MIA) - At least two people were killed and eight were injured in Russia's latest attacks on Odessa, the authorities said on Saturday.

The drone attack destroyed part of a nine-storey apartment block, affecting 18 flats, the authorities added.

Those injured included a 3-year-old child and a pregnant woman, Odessa regional governor Oleh Kiper said in the morning, noting that there might be further people still trapped beneath the rubble.

The hit caused extensive destruction, with rubble strewn over a large area, according to images and videos released by the authorities. Volunteers joined search and rescue efforts to help in the aftermath.

Another person also died in a drone attack in the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack and expressed his condolences to the relatives.

He said Ukraine needed a stronger air defence system, a plea he has been issuing for months.

"We need more air defense capabilities from our partners. The Ukrainian air shield must be strengthened in order to effectively protect our people from Russian terror," he said in a statement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"More air defense systems and air defense missiles are what saves lives."

Russia fired eight drones at Odessa during the night, of which Ukrainian air defences shot down seven, they said.

Moscow has bombarded the city on the Black Sea with missiles several times since launching its full-scale war on Ukraine more than two years ago.

"Russia is killing civilians," the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andrii Yermak, said on Telegram. "We need help to stop this."

Ukraine's air defences said that in total, they had shot down 14 drones and a Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet during the night.

Ukraine has been calling on its Western allies to provide significantly more air defence support and additional air defence systems for months, in order to better protect its cities from Moscow's attacks.

Ukraine has been heavily reliant on Western support in its two-year defence against the Russian invasion.

The pressure is on Kiev after Russia has started to make some gains in recent weeks and test Ukrainian forces on the front line.

MIA file photo