Ukrainian drone and shelling attacks killed three people in Russia on Friday, while Russian bombardments on east Ukraine forced the evacuation of a maternity centre in Kharkiv and wounded nine.

Officials say a Russian drone barrage has targeted the center of Kharkiv, injuring nine people and damaging a maternity hospital in Ukraine's second-largest city.

Ukraine said it struck a Russian air base on Saturday, while Russia continued to attack Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight as part of a stepped-up bombing campaign that has dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the more than 3-year-old war.