KYIV, Ukraine — A devastating Russian assault on a nine-story residential building in Sumy, a city in northern Ukraine, resulted in the tragic loss of eight lives and left numerous others injured, according to an official statement on Sunday. This attack, involving a massive deployment of drones and missiles, has been characterized by officials as the most significant in recent times.
Tragically, among the eight victims in Sumy, a city located just 24 miles from the Russian border, were two children, as reported by Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko. The incident led to the evacuation of more than 400 residents from the building.
Rescue teams were meticulously inspecting each apartment in the damaged building, searching for any remaining occupants.
“Every life destroyed by Russia is a big tragedy,” Klymenko lamented.
The drone and missile attack, which specifically targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, has raised concerns about Russia’s potential plans to cripple Ukraine’s power generation capacity ahead of the winter season.
In a significant development on Sunday, President Joe Biden authorized, for the first time, the use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles by Ukraine to strike targets within Russia. This decision came after persistent lobbying by Ukrainian officials.
These weapons are expected to be used in retaliation to North Korea’s decision to deploy thousands of troops to support Russia in the Kursk region, where Ukraine had launched a military operation earlier this summer.
This marks the second instance of the U.S. allowing the use of Western weapons on Russian soil, following the approval of the use of HIMARS systems, a shorter-range weapon, to counter Russia’s advance in the Kharkiv region in May.
Ukraine’s initial response to the U.S.’s long-awaited decision was notably measured.
“Today, much is being said in the media about us receiving permission for the relevant actions. But strikes are not made with words. Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves,” stated Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly video address.
Earlier, Zelenskyy revealed that Russia had launched a total of 120 missiles and 90 drones in a large-scale attack across Ukraine. He mentioned that various types of drones were used, including Iranian-made Shaheds, as well as cruise, ballistic and aircraft-launched ballistic missiles.
Ukraine’s air force reported later on Sunday that they had successfully shot down 144 out of a total of 210 air targets.
“The enemy’s target was our energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine. Unfortunately, there is damage to objects from hits and falling debris. In Mykolaiv, as a result of a drone attack, two people were killed and six others were injured, including two children,” Zelenskyy said.
Two additional fatalities were reported in the Odesa region, where the attack damaged energy infrastructure and disrupted power and water supplies, according to local Gov. Oleh Kiper. Both victims were employees of Ukraine’s state-owned power grid operator, Ukrenergo, the company confirmed hours later.
The combined drone and missile attack was the most powerful in three months, according to the head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration, Serhii Popko.
One person was injured after the roof of a five-story residential building caught fire in Kyiv’s historic center, according to Popko.
A thermal power plant operated by private energy company DTEK was “seriously damaged,” the company said.
Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian strikes have relentlessly targeted Ukraine’s power infrastructure, leading to frequent emergency power shutdowns and nationwide rolling blackouts. Ukrainian officials have consistently called on Western allies to strengthen the country’s air defenses to counter these attacks and facilitate repairs.
Explosions were heard across Ukraine on Sunday, including in the capital, Kyiv, the key southern port of Odesa, as well as the country’s west and central regions, according to local reports.
The operational command of Poland’s armed forces announced on X that Polish and allied aircraft, including fighter jets, have been mobilized in Polish airspace in response to the “massive” Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine. The steps were aimed to provide safety in Poland’s border areas, it said.
On Sunday, Russia’s Defense Ministry admitted to executing a “mass” missile and drone attack on “critical energy infrastructure” in Ukraine, but claimed all targeted facilities were tied to Kyiv’s military industry.
Although Ukraine’s nuclear plants were not directly impacted, several electrical substations on which they depend suffered further damage, the U.N.’s nuclear energy watchdog said in a statement Sunday. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, only two of Ukraine’s nine operational reactors continue to generate power at full capacity.
A local journalist died Sunday as Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s embattled Kursk region, its Gov. Aleksei Smirnov reported.
Moscow’s forces have for months strained to dislodge Ukrainian troops from the southern province after a bold incursion in August that constituted the largest attack on Russia since World War II and saw battle-hardened Ukrainian units swiftly take hundreds of square miles of territory.
In Russia’s Belgorod province, near Ukraine, a man died on the spot after a Ukrainian drone dropped explosives on his car, local Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported.
Another Ukrainian drone on Sunday targeted a drone factory in Izhevsk, deep inside Russia, according to anti-Kremlin Russian news channels on the Telegram messaging app. The regional leader, Aleksandr Brechalov, reported that a drone exploded near a factory in the city, blowing out windows but causing no serious damage. A man was briefly hospitalized with a head injury, Brechalov said.
Disagree. Violence only perpetuates suffering and does not bring about lasting peace.
Disagree. War only leads to more destruction. #peacefulsolutions