This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
A Russian drone attack that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called “a horrible tragedy” struck a residential building in the Ukrainian regional capital Sumy, officials said, killing at least six and injuring nine others, including a child.
According to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office, those killed in the attack on January 30 were three couples who ranged in age between 61 and 74 years old. Ukraine’s State Emergencies Service reports that rescue operations are still underway.
Russia launched more than 80 drones at Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, in what have become nightly waves of attacks across the country. Most of the drones were shot down by defense missiles or driven off track by electronic jamming.
“A terrible tragedy, a terrible Russian crime,” Zelenskyy said of the strike.
“It is important that the world does not pause the pressure on Russia for the terror,” he added.
Officials said that five apartments across four floors and 12 balconies were destroyed. More than 80 windows and balconies were damaged, and over 20 cars were impacted.
The strike also caused power, water, and heating outages in the affected building, with one entrance losing its gas supply
Russian forces have frequently targeted Ukrainian cities using drones, missiles, guided bombs, and multiple-launch rocket systems.
Despite overwhelming evidence, Russia denies deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However, Ukrainian officials and international organizations classify such strikes as war crimes, emphasizing that they are deliberate attacks on civilians, hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure.