Fresh Wave of Drone Strikes in Sumy: 11 Injured and Energy Infrastructure Damaged

Russia initiated a new series of overnight drone assaults on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy, close to the Russian frontier, resulting in injuries to at least 11 individuals, including four children, according to local authorities reported on Friday morning.

Ukraine’s emergency services mentioned that a nine-story residential building was struck, igniting fires in five apartments on the upper floors and affecting seven balconies. Rescuers managed to evacuate 12 residents from the scene.

Additional damage was reported at private properties, with the most extensive destruction occurring at an unspecified infrastructure site, where significant fires were ultimately brought under control.

Oleg Hryhorov, head of the Sumy regional military administration, who disclosed the injuries from the apartment block, indicated that the attacks also impacted a railway passenger depot, resulting in the destruction of utility structures and rail cars.

Shortly thereafter, the Sumy regional police announced that 15 individuals were wounded as a result of the assaults.

These strikes on Sumy were part of a broader Russian offensive involving drone and missile attacks throughout Ukraine on Thursday.

Officials noted that Russian drone and bombing strikes claimed the lives of seven people in the eastern Donetsk region, the southern Zaporizhzhia region, and the central Vinnytsa region.

Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, reported that the missile and drone attacks on its thermal power facilities ignited fires and caused damage to equipment.

«We are still evaluating the impact, but it is clear that this assault significantly hampers our efforts to maintain power supply this winter,» stated CEO Maxim Timchenko on X.

Ukraine’s national grid operator, Ukrenergo, announced that emergency power restrictions of up to three hours were being implemented across all regions following the latest series of Russian strikes targeting energy installations.

They also noted that new power outages were registered in multiple regions overnight as a result of the drone strikes, with repair teams actively working to restore services.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko accused Russia of intentionally targeting Ukraine’s power supply as winter approaches, stating, «Their aim is to plunge Ukraine into darkness. Our goal is to keep the lights on,» as she shared on Telegram.

In a late-night video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Russia had launched 650 drones and 50 missiles throughout the country.