Kiev: Ukrainian authorities have said that Russia has launched three missile strikes on the strategic port city of Odessa, causing casualties.

In a social media post, Maksym Marchenko, Head of Odessa Regional Military Administration, said the missiles were launched on Friday from the Russia-annexed Crimea, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

Without providing further details, including the number of casualties, Marchenko said the Russians "would regret every launch of missiles and every attack on our land".

The Operational Command South of the Ukrainian military said that air-defences had prevented attacks targeting "critical infrastructure, which could endanger the civilian population".

It went on to say that the situation is currently under control and that it has launched a probe into it.

Over 6,000 Ukrainians evacuated in 24 hours

More than 6,000 Ukrainians have been evacuated from besieged cities via humanitarian corridors in the past 24 hours, according to a government official in Kiev.

In a social media post, Deputy Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said a total of 6,266 people were evacuated on Friday, including 3,071 from Mariupol in the Donetsk region where Russian forces have continued relentless bombing and attacks, reports ukrayinska Pravda.

Evacuations also took place in the regions of Zaporizhzhya and Luhansk, Tymoshenko said.

However, thousands of people are still stuck in Mariupol, where continued Russian shelling for more than five week have led to shortage of food, running water and heat.

In a statement, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said: "We know how much you want to be saved. Every day we will try and try to break through until you get a chance to leave the city, and most important, to live a peaceful life."