Sawt Falasteen - Russian shelling kills 7 in Kharkiv: regional governor

"Today the enemy insidiously fired on Kharkiv," regional governor Oleg Sinegubov said on social media.

"Seven civilians were killed and 17 were injured, including a nine-year-old child," he said after the strikes hit at least three neighbourhoods of the city near the border with Russia.

An AFP reporter in Kharkiv said the northern residential district of Pavlove Pole was hit and saw plumes of smoke rising from the area.

He saw several people injured near a shuttered shopping centre, while an elderly man with injuries to his arm and leg was carried away by medics.

Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov urged people to find shelter following the attack.

"Enemy troops are shelling our city again," he said in a video on Telegram.

"I urge you to stay in safe places, in basements, shelters and at subway stations."

He said the city's metro, which resumed work this week after being used mainly as a shelter since the Russian invasion, would continue operating but also offer a safe space for residents.

"We will not stop the metro, but we will allocate special sectors where you can stay and shelter from bombing," Terekhov said.

"Now the most important thing is to save lives."

Kharkiv, in the north-eastern corner of Ukraine near the Russian border, was heavily shelled by Moscow's forces at the start of their invasion, which began on February 24.

After heavy battles which left the city very badly damaged, Ukrainian forces retained control of Kharkiv.

X.Habash--SF-PST