Ukrainian officials reported that at least eight people lost their lives and more than 40 others were injured in a series of overnight Russian airstrikes across four border regions of Ukraine. The strikes targeted the regions of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk, according to separate statements released on Sunday.
Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, shared on Telegram that Russia launched missile attacks from its Voronezh and Rostov regions, aimed at these Ukrainian border areas. He noted that many of the missiles did not reach their intended targets. Additionally, Oleshchuk claimed that eight out of nine Russian drones were intercepted over the southern Mykolaiv region.
Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv, reported on Telegram that debris from the downed drones damaged 15 residential and commercial buildings in the region.
In the Donetsk region, Governor Vadym Filashkin initially reported that seven people were killed and 15 others injured across three districts, including Kramatorsk. In Kramatorsk, two individuals were initially reported injured, but Filashkin later updated that number to four, identifying them as journalists from the Reuters news agency. The journalists were injured when a missile struck a hotel in the district’s administrative center. Filashkin also mentioned that a British journalist might still be trapped under the rubble, and search and rescue efforts are ongoing at the site.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi urged the international community to condemn these attacks in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office has launched an investigation into the airstrikes.
In a separate statement, the Sumy Regional Military Administration reported that one person was killed and 16 others were injured in a missile strike in the region.
Meanwhile, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov stated on Telegram that 13 people were injured in the cities of Kharkiv and Chuhuiv.
