“During the evening shelling of Kherson by the Russian occupiers, nine people were injured, four of them were children,” said Kherson mayor Roman Mrochko, adding that the children were between two and 13 years old.

A mother and her three children were hospitalised but “their condition is moderate. They have contusions and…explosive injuries”, the mayor said on Telegram.

Several Iranian-made “Shahed” drones were also shot down by Ukrainian air defences as they headed toward Kyiv, according to the head of the capital’s military administration, Serhii Popko.

“According to the preliminary data of the operational summary, there were no victims or destruction in the capital,” he wrote on Telegram, adding that the attack, the fifth on Kyiv in December, was staged from the Black Sea.

Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov reported at least two strikes near residential buildings in his city.

“Information about casualties and destruction is being clarified,” he wrote on Telegram.

Moscow has stepped up its nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, at a time when the West’s willingness to support the country seems to be waning.

The Democratic and Republican leaders of the US senate said yesterday that Washington will not be able to approve new aid for Ukraine before the year’s end, as the two sides continue to seek a compromise.