KHARKIV, UKRAINE — Thirteen people, including four police officers, were wounded in another night of Russian attacks on Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv, authorities said Monday.

Kharkiv, which lies near the Russian border, has been shelled persistently since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022.

"The Russian armed forces carried out massive air strikes on Kharkiv and its suburbs," prosecutors said, adding that residential buildings and shops were damaged.

AFP journalists at the scene saw buildings gutted by the blast and emergency services assessing the damage.

Ukraine has for months been urging Western allies to supply more air defence systems to fend off Russian attacks.

Kyiv on Monday said it had downed 50 Iranian-designed Russian drones in nine regions overnight, including over the capital Kyiv.

It also said a Russian cruise missile had struck the Dnipropetrovsk region.