Russia launches deadly drone attack on Odesa - officials

Russian drones have killed at least two people and injured another five in a sustained attack on the Ukrainian city of Odesa, the regional leader has said.

Residential high-rise buildings, a supermarket and school were damaged, Oleh Kiper posted on Telegram. Russia has not yet commented on the attack.

Later on Thursday, a Russia-appointed official said seven people had been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack in an occupied town in the southern region of Kherson. Vladimir Saldo said a crowded market had been attacked in Oleshky.

However, Ukrainian forces said they had targeted four Russian soldiers and that two had been killed.

Odesa regional head Oleh Kiper said that Russian forces had targeted the city with strike drones, damaging homes and civilian infrastructure.

"Two people died and five others were injured as a result of the strike. Medics are providing all necessary assistance to the victims," he said.

The city's Mayor Gennady Trukhanov said: "The enemy has launched another massive attack on the city. Residential buildings and civilian infrastructure have been damaged in various areas of Odesa."

Videos and images uploaded to social media, which the BBC has not yet verified, show explosions and damaged buildings.

Odesa, a strategically important port city on the Black Sea, has a population of around a million people. It has come under repeated attack since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the mayor of Kharkiv said a drone had struck a petrol station in the city centre, and explosions were also heard in the city of Sumy.

The latest attacks came as the US signed a deal with Ukraine on the joint exploitation of its energy and mineral resources.

The long-anticipated deal shows much more solidarity with Ukraine than is usual for US President Donald Trump's administration.

The two countries agreed to establish a reconstruction investment fund to spur Ukraine's economic recovery from its war with Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week announced a temporary ceasefire for the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said the ceasefire would run from the morning of 8 May until 11 May - which coincides with victory celebrations to mark the end of World War Two.

In response, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for an immediate ceasefire lasting "at least 30 days".

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