A RUSSIAN DRONE attack killed at least four people and wounded 21 in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro this morning.

The attack damaged high-rise buildings and triggered fires at a hotel, service stations and a number of homes, according to local officials.

Russia sent “more than 20 drones” to Dnipro, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region Sergiy Lysak wrote on his official Telegram account.

He added that most of these drones “were downed”.

“The massive attack caused large-scale destruction and fires. A hotel and restaurant complex, 11 private houses, garages, and a service station were on fire,” Lysak said.

The fires were extinguished, he explained on Telegram, offering condolences to the families of the victims.

The casualty toll was likely to rise, with three of the injured in serious condition.

Overnight, air sirens were heard sounding in several other Ukrainian regions, including the capital, Kyiv. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.

Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry said three Ukrainian drones were either intercepted or shot down over the western Belgorod region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a “transitional administration” to be put in place in Ukraine yesterday, and vowed his army would “finish off” Ukrainian troops.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Putin’s call for a UN-run administration as the Russian leader’s latest ploy to delay a peace deal.

Russia and Ukraine have also each accused each other of breaching commitments to not strike energy facilities, throwing yet more jeopardy on the prospects of even a temporary and partial halt in the three-year war.

UN rights chief Volker Turk said yesterday that fighting in Ukraine “has intensified”, and is “killing and injuring even more civilians”.

“Casualty figures in the first three months of this year were 30 percent higher than the same period last year,” Turk told the United Nations Human Rights Council.