KYIV - A Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine's city of Dnipro on Wednesday killed at least four civilians and wounded 27 more, damaging kindergartens, schools, and hospitals and causing fires throughout the city, regional officials said.

"The morning has not been good for us. The enemy has launched a combined attack on our city," Serhiy Lysak, governor of the surrounding Dnipropetrovsk region, said in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app.

Of the injured, 11 had been taken to hospital and two were in grave condition, he said.

Lysak published pictures of emergency workers clearing shattered glass and extinguishing fires.

The Ukrainian Air Force said the Russian forces targeted the Dnipropetrovsk region with seven missiles and five Shahed drones. Air defences were able to shoot down five missiles and all the drones, it said.

Dnipro's mayor, Borys Filatov, announced a day of mourning for Thursday. He said two schools and three kindergartens were damaged with multiple windows smashed. Missile debris slammed into a children's hospital and two other hospital buildings were damaged. Commercial buildings were also damaged, officials said.

Russia has intensified air attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months as its forces have tried to advance. Moscow denies targeting civilians although it has killed thousands of them since launching its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022.

  - Reuters