Russian airstrikes kill 3 in Ukraine as Zelenskyy warns of evolving drone tech

LONDON -- Russian drone strikes and bombs killed at least three people in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv overnight, regional officials there said, even though Moscow's latest drone and missile barrage elsewhere was significantly smaller than preceding nights.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a post to Telegram that another 56 people were injured by Russian attacks overnight, which included the use of Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones, first-person view commercial-style drones and KAB guided bombs.

More than 103 residential buildings were damaged, Terekhov said, describing the destruction as "enormous."

Kharkiv -- Ukraine's second largest city with a pre-war population of around 1.4 million -- sits just 20 miles from the Russian border. That proximity has seen the city bombarded throughout Russia's full-scale invasion.

Kharkiv has also faced intense recent attacks as Moscow expanded its drone and missile campaign, plus as Russian forces reportedly mass along the nearby border and threaten new incursions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said of the strikes on Kharkiv, "Every new day now means new vile strikes by Russia, and almost every strike is indicative. Russia deserves increased pressure, with literally every hit on ordinary life it proves that pressure is not enough. And we should not be afraid, not postpone new decisions that could complicate the situation for Russia."

"Without this, they will not go for real diplomacy," Zelenskyy added. "And this depends primarily on the United States and other world leaders. Everyone who called for an end to the killings and for diplomacy must act."

Elsewhere on Tuesday night, at least five people were injured by Russian shelling in the southern Kherson region, local officials said in a post to Telegram. One person was also killed and another injured by Russian shelling in the eastern Donetsk region, officials said.

Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 85 drones and one missile into the country overnight, of which 49 drones were shot down or otherwise neutralized. Impacts were recorded in 14 locations, with drone debris falling in two other locations, the air force said.

Zelenskyy said in a Tuesday night post to Telegram that he had spoken with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov about "our efforts to counter drones, protect against missiles and reinforce our air defense." The meeting came after Monday night's massive Russian attack on cities including Kyiv.

"The Russians have once again used ballistic missiles from North Korea," Zelenskyy said of Monday night's attacks. "We are also tracking evidence that Russian-Iranian drone technologies have spread to North Korea. This is extremely dangerous both for Europe and for East and Southeast Asia."

"The longer this war continues on our territory, the more warfare technologies evolve and the greater the threat will be to everyone," Zelenskyy added. "This must be addressed now -- not when thousands of upgraded Shahed drones and ballistic missiles begin to threaten Seoul and Tokyo."

Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down 33 Ukrainian drones overnight into Wednesday morning.

In Russia's Tambov region -- around 260 miles southeast of Moscow and 230 miles from the closest Ukrainian-controlled territory -- acting governor Evgeny Pervyshov said on Telegram that a fire broke out in the town of Kotovsk due to falling drone debris. "The situation is under control," Pervyshov wrote.

But Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said in a Telegram post that an explosives plant in the area was hit by drones.

Kovalenko claimed that the Tambov gunpowder plant had been forced to suspend operations by the strike. "It produces gunpowder used for various types of small arms, artillery and rocket systems," he said of the facility.

"The enterprise is one of the main suppliers of explosives for the Russian army," Kovalenko added. "With the beginning of a full-scale war in Ukraine, production at the plant has increased significantly."

The governor of Russia's western Belgorod region said six people were also injured by a Ukrainian drone strike on a factory in the town of Shebekino. All were hospitalized, the governor said in a post to Telegram.

ABC News' Oleksiy Pshemyskiy and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.