Russia Launches Major Attack on Ukraine: 8 Dead, Energy Infrastructure Targeted

Russia launched one of the largest attacks in recent months on Ukraine. The attack targeted a nine-story building in Sumy, a city in northern Ukraine, killing eight people. Sumy is located 40 kilometers from the Russian border.

According to Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, of the eight killed, two were children, and over 400 people were evacuated from the attacked building.

Rescuers searched every apartment to identify any survivors.

The drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure indicate Moscow’s focus on the country’s power generation sector.

On Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden authorized the use of long-range missiles supplied by the U.S. The decision followed extensive lobbying by Ukrainian officials.

Ukraine opted to use long-range missiles after North Korea announced plans to deploy troops in the Kursk region of Russia. This is not the first time the U.S. has approved such missile use. Earlier, the U.S. had authorized Ukraine to use short-range missile systems, including HIMARS.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy reported that Russia launched 120 missiles and 90 drones at the country. The missiles included Iran’s Shahed drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and aircraft-based ballistic missiles.

According to Ukraine's Air Force, around 144 air targets were shot down.

In addition, the missile strikes caused significant damage to energy infrastructure, disrupting power supplies, and resulted in the deaths of two employees of Ukraine’s power department.

A private power plant was also damaged in the attacks. Locals reported hearing explosions across Ukraine.

Russia claimed that the attacks targeted facilities linked to Ukraine's military bases. However, there was no damage to Ukraine’s nine nuclear reactors, and only two of them are currently operating at full capacity.