Three people were killed in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on his Telegram channel.

A rescue operation was underway, he said, without providing additional information about the attack.

"Zaporizhzhia. Another attack by Russian terrorists. As of now, three people have been reported dead," he said.

A video posted by Zelenskiy showed smoke billowing from burning and badly damaged buildings next to a church.

Earlier, Zaporizhzhia city council's secretary Anatoliy Kurtev said that Russia had hit a residential area of the city.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Chris Reese and Bernadette Baum)