ISTANBUL

At least nine people were injured due to an overnight Russian drone attack on Ukraine's southwestern city of Odesa, the regional governor said on Tuesday.

“According to detailed information, as a result of the nighttime drone attack by Russians in Odesa, nine people were injured, 4 of them are children,” Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said in a statement on Telegram.

Indicating that two of the children are aged 12 and 9, Kiper said the other two are infants under 1 year old.

Kiper further said three adults were hospitalized due to the attack and are currently in moderate condition.

In an earlier statement, the governor said residential buildings in Odesa were damaged and caught fire due to the attack, noting that rescuers managed to save 34 people, including three children.

Odesa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov specified in a separate statement that at least 14 apartments were damaged.

Meanwhile, Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of Ukraine's Air Force, claimed on Telegram that the country's air defense downed 15 out of 16 drones launched by Russia on the country over the Mykolaiv, Odesa, Kyiv, and Cherkasy regions.

Russian authorities have not yet commented on the claim.