Russian Drone Assaults on Sumy: 11 Injured and Energy Infrastructure Severely Damaged

Russia carried out a new series of drone strikes overnight on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy, located near the Russian border, resulting in injuries to at least 11 individuals, including four children, as reported by local officials on Friday morning.

According to Ukraine’s emergency services, a nine-story apartment building was struck, leading to fires on five upper floors and seven balconies. Rescuers were able to evacuate 12 residents from the building.

Further damages were reported at various private facilities, with the most extensive destruction noted at an unspecified infrastructure site, where large fires were subsequently brought under control.

Oleg Hryhorov, the head of the Sumy regional military administration, who confirmed the 11 injuries from the apartment block, also mentioned that the strikes resulted in damage to a railway passenger depot, destroying utility buildings and train cars.

Shortly thereafter, Sumy regional police reported that the number of injured from the attacks had risen to 15.

These airstrikes on Sumy were part of a larger Russian offensive involving drone and missile assaults across Ukraine on Thursday.

Officials indicated that drone and bomb strikes in the eastern Donetsk region, the southern Zaporizhzhia region, and the central Vinnytsia region resulted in the deaths of seven people.

Ukraine’s largest private energy provider, DTEK, announced that missile and drone attacks on its thermal power plants caused significant fires and equipment damage.

«We are still evaluating the extent of the damage, but this strike undoubtedly represents a significant setback in our efforts to maintain power supplies this winter,» wrote CEO Maxim Timchenko on X.

In response to the recent wave of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukraine’s national grid operator Ukrenergo stated that emergency power restrictions of up to three hours were being implemented across all regions.

The operator reported new outages affecting several areas overnight as a result of the drone strikes, with repair teams working diligently to restore power.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko accused Russia of intentionally targeting Ukraine’s power supplies in anticipation of the cold winter months. «Their goal is to plunge Ukraine into darkness; ours is to ensure that we keep the lights on,» she wrote on Telegram.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a late-night video address that Russia launched 650 drones and 50 missiles across the country.