ISTANBUL

The number of people killed in Saturday's Russian drone strike on residential buildings in Ukraine's southwestern Odesa region has risen to 10, including three children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.

"At this time, 10 people are known to have died, including three children ... My condolences to all relatives and friends," Zelenskyy said in a statement on Telegram.

The search and rescue operations at the scene of the attack are still ongoing, Zelenskyy said, adding that 215 rescuers are involved and that five people have been pulled from the rubble.

"Every Russian loss at the front is our state's response to Russian terror. The world must react to every manifestation of Russian evil and retaliate against Russia's actions," he added.

Two people were killed and eight others were injured following Russian drone strikes in the Odesa, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions on Saturday, Zelenskyy said following the assaults.

Indicating that one of the drones hit a residential building in Odesa and destroyed 18 apartments, Zelenskyy urged his country’s partners to provide Ukraine with more air defense systems.​​​​​​​