(Reuters) -A new Russian strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, killed two civilians and injured seven early on Saturday, regional Governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram.

       Ukraine's national police, also posting on Telegram, said the attack was launched by drones. It showed pictures of blazes that had broken out on city streets and next to buildings.

       Suspilne public television said a high-rise apartment building in the Shevchenkivskyi district was damaged and a shop set ablaze. Other news reports said the strike had occurred just after midnight.

       Synehubov had earlier reported a strike in Kharkiv on a residential building and a missile attack on a village north of the city. No casualties were reported in either incident.

       Air raid alerts remained in effect for Kharkiv and most of the country, including Kyiv, for several hours after the strikes.

       Kharkiv, in Ukraine's northeast, has been a frequent Russian target, with attacks intensifying in recent weeks. On Wednesday, a drone attack on the city killed four people and badly damaged apartment blocks.

       President Voldodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, told the news outlet Politico in an interview published on Thursday, that he saw Kharkiv as the most likely target for any new Russian offensive in May or June.

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       (Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Sandra Maler and Sam Holmes)