Russia-Ukraine war: Zelensky appeals to West over deadly Russian drone attack on Odesa

The strike in Odesa destroyed 18 flats, President Zelensky said

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had called on Western allies to deliver more air defence systems after at least eight people were killed in a Russian drone strike on Odesa.

A four-month-old baby and a three-year-old child were among the victims of the overnight strike on Ukraine's southern city, local officials said.

"Russia continues to wage war on civilians," President Zelensky said.

Russian troops have recently made gains in Ukraine which faces arms shortages.

Last month, Moscow took control of the key eastern town of Avdiivka.

Ukraine's commander-in-chief has signalled he will replace some military leaders on the eastern front.

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In a post on Telegram on Saturday, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said a nine-storey building had been destroyed as a result of "an attack by Russian terrorists" in Odesa.

Footage from the scene showed that several floors of a residential building had been destroyed.

Several residents of the damaged block of flats are still missing

The death toll has risen steadily throughout the day, as rescuers pulled out more bodies from the rubble.

At least eight people are now confirmed to have been killed and another eight injured. But a number of people are still unaccounted for, and there are fears the death toll will rise further.

Separately, Ukrainian officials said one person had been killed in the north-eastern Kharkiv region near the Russian border and another in the southern Kherson region.

In a post on social media, Mr Zelensky said: "We need more air defences from our partners. We need to strengthen the Ukrainian air shield to add more protection for our people from Russian terror. More air defence systems and more missiles for air defence systems saves lives."

Ukraine's air force said it had downed 14 or 17 drones launched by Russia overnight.

Russian forces have launched thousands of Iranian-made drones at Ukrainian targets since they invaded Ukraine over two years ago.

In retaliation Ukraine has targeted Russian sites, notably oil facilities.

Emergency services specialists work by a damaged apartment block after an alleged drone attack reported by local media, in Saint Petersburg

On Saturday a drone struck a residential building in St Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city. About 100 people were evacuated and there are no reports of casualties, officials say.

Some Russian media said the incident could have been caused by a downed Ukrainian drone, which was heading towards a fuel depot. There has been no official confirmation of this from the Kremlin.

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Early on Saturday, the commander-in-chief of Ukrainian forces, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, signalled that he would replace some commanders on the eastern front.

The move comes after the fall of Avdiivka, which marked the biggest change on front line since Russian troops seized the nearby town of Bakhmut in May 2023.

Avdiivka was engulfed in fierce fighting for months. This week, Ukraine's military withdrew from two nearby villages, losing more territory as the supply of weapons and ammunition from its Western allies ran short.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has spent three days on the eastern front

Gen Syrskyi said he would change those commanders whose orders and actions had threatened the lives of troops.

He wrote on Telegram: "I have sent groups of specialists to individual brigades where there are problems with the preparation of the headquarters to transfer experience and provide assistance."

Gen Syrskyi praised some brigades, and promised - after listening to front-line units - to provide reserves, ammunition and expertise to back them up.

He insisted the situation on the front line "remains difficult, but controlled".

President Zelensky sacked Gen Syrskyi's predecessor, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, less than a month ago.