Russia unleashes 'River of Fire' killing seven people, including three children, in a drone attack on a gas station in Ukraine's second city Kharkiv, amid fears that defenders are running out of Western ammunition to fend off Putin's devastating attacks

A Russian attack on Ukraine's second-largest city overnight killed at least seven people, including three children, Kharkiv's governor said on Saturday.

An Iranian-made Shahed drone struck a gas station, creating a 'river of fire' that engulfed fifteen houses in an unstoppable blaze.

The victims included a family of five, including three children aged six months, four and seven years, who were reportedly 'burned alive' in their own home.

“They were held hostage by the fire in their own home,” said lead investigator Serhiy Bolvinov.

'The man's body is in the hallway of the house, the mother and children tried to save themselves in the bathroom. We don't know yet where the baby's body is. The search is ongoing.”

While Ukraine's air force said it was able to destroy 21 of 31 drones launched nationwide overnight, the devastation in Kharkiv comes amid fears that defenders have run out of ammunition needed to repel air attacks.

Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, this week called on US lawmakers to approve a new aid package as her country faces a “critical shortage” of military hardware.

In an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday, Ms. Markarova implored international lenders to maintain their support for Ukraine as the war approaches its second anniversary.

“We still have plenty of people who want to fight – there's really no choice for us, we're defending our homes – but we're running out of equipment, especially missiles and interceptors,” she said. “We need this support yesterday.”

The US Senate voted Thursday to move forward with a bill that would grant $95 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine to continue its fierce resistance against Putin's military.

“I was so happy to hear that it was very strong bipartisan support, which of course is not yet final, but just the first step in the right direction,” Ms. Markarova said. “There is no alternative to continuing this support.”

A spokesperson for Ms. Markarova told Newsweek that “due to a shortage of ammunition, the Ukrainian army is under increasing pressure on the front lines.”

“Russia is pushing ahead and trying to give Putin a 'big victory' on election day in March: occupation of a new Ukrainian city in the East.”

The overnight attack in Kharkov underlines the urgency of munitions that would help Ukraine fend off incoming attacks.

More than fifty people were rescued from the flames as they swept through a community in the Nemyshlyanskyi district.

Witness Andrii Kruglo said: 'Everything exploded and started flowing like a river. A burning river. I was covered in diesel fuel.

'He ran down the street and set houses on fire.

“We tried to put out the fire, extinguishing it as much as possible with our hands, with snow.”

“We tried to put out the fire, extinguishing it as much as possible with our hands, with snow.”

Mayor Igor Terekhov said: “The Shaheds of the enemy [Iranian-made drones] hit a gas station, causing burning fuel to spill out and setting fire to fourteen private homes.”

Regional prosecutor Oleksandr Filachkov said three drones were used in the attack.

'As a result, an object of critical infrastructure was destroyed. There was a large amount of fuel and that is why the consequences of the fire were so terrible,” he said.

Family members have been asked for DNA to help identify the victims of the attack.

The strike followed an earlier attack on Zmiiv when a hotel complex and surrounding buildings were destroyed.

Locals expressed fears that Ukraine is short of air defenses and failing to stop Russian attacks, especially in the eastern region of Kharkov.

A local source said here: 'We were attacked with Russian drones [from Iran] and local social media chats exploded with reports that our area no longer has proper air defenses.

“Kharkov and the region are desperate for at least one Patriot system. Apparently many drones have been shot down with simple machine guns.

“We are protected by virtually nothing.”

Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Colonel Yuriy Ignat warned: “There are many statements from different countries, different representatives, and sometimes you get the impression that we have everything and a lot – but no, we don't have everything and we don't have much.”

He said: 'Germany has announced additional IRIS-T, we also expect Patriot.

“We would like more systems that have proven themselves on the battlefield as a means of combating ballistics.”

Josep Borell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said: “Mobilizing additional EU military equipment for Ukraine is my top priority.

“We have to do more and we have to do it faster.”