Emergency crews were deployed to the northeastern Ukrainian city of Okhtyrka on Monday morning after a residential high-rise was devastated by a Russian drone barrage, leaving several civilians wounded as the conflict approaches the end of its fourth year.
According to regional officials, at least seven people sustained injuries when the munitions struck the apartment block in the Sumy region. Governor Oleh Hryhorov confirmed the toll via the Telegram messaging app, noting that while five victims were treated at the scene and discharged, two required hospitalisation for more serious wounds.
Images from the scene depicted the stark reality of the air war's toll on civilian infrastructure, with the multi-storey building sustaining extensive structural damage. Governor Hryhorov praised the quick reactions of residents, noting that many managed to reach basement shelters following air-raid sirens, while emergency service personnel used ladders to rescue trapped survivors from the upper floors of the smouldering ruins.
The attack on Okhtyrka highlights the persistent vulnerability of the Sumy region, which shares a long, porous border with the Russian Federation. While the front lines in the Donbas to the southeast have remained the primary theatre of ground combat, border areas like Sumy and Kharkiv face near-daily attrition through artillery shelling, glide bombs, and drone strikes.
Since Moscow launched its full-scale war in February 2022, the Sumy region has been a focal point of the conflict. It was partially occupied in the opening weeks of the war before Russian forces withdrew to consolidate in the east.
Cross-border aerial attacks remain a primary tactic as the war nears the four-year mark.
Reuters could not independently verify the specifics of the report from the ground. As of Monday afternoon, there was no immediate comment from the Kremlin regarding the strike on Okhtyrka.
Throughout the conflict, Moscow has consistently denied targeting civilians or residential infrastructure, asserting that its military focuses solely on strategic targets such as energy grids, transport hubs, and troop concentrations.
However, the United Nations and international monitors have documented thousands of civilian casualties since 2022, the vast majority of whom are Ukrainian.
As winter sets in across Eastern Europe, Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is likely to intensify its aerial campaign against residential and utility infrastructure, a pattern observed in previous years of the war.
Volkswagen’s supervisory board has approved a major overhaul aimed at cutting 100,000 jobs by 2030 as the German carmaker battles weaker sale...
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, acc...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citi...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. positions across the region, while Iranian officials said at least five people were killed and dozens wounded at a wedding near Sirik.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas says the bloc will tighten enforcement of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. EU foreign ministers were meeting in Ireland following renewed Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Pacific Island leaders expressed concern about China's Pacific missile test at their annual summit, though Nauru formally dissented, in a meeting largely overshadowed by Beijing's objections to Taiwan's presence.
China’s southern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong are bracing for more torrential rain after Typhoon Saudel triggered widespread flooding, swept away vehicles and caused a three-storey building to collapse.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 4th of September, covering the latest developments.
The Trump administration pressured U.S. space companies not to attend a high-profile space summit in Paris organised by French President Emmanuel Macron, prompting a last-minute reshuffle and the cancellation of some planned announcements, according to sources familiar with the matter.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment