An entire family - a married couple and their two young sons - have been killed in an overnight Russian drone attack in Ukraine's north-eastern Sumy region, local officials have said.
Regional head Oleh Hryhorov stated that a residential building was hit in the village of Chernechchyna. The bodies of the two children, aged four and six, along with their parents, were recovered from the wreckage.
Ukraine's air force reported that it shot down 46 out of 65 Russian drones across the country, yet there were 19 direct hits in six locations, underscoring the ongoing threat posed by aerial assaults.
Russia's military has not issued a comment concerning this specific incident. Instead, it claimed that 81 Ukrainian drones were neutralized in Russian territories without any reported casualties.
Hryhorov accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting residential buildings in Chernechchyna. He described the loss of the family as “a tragedy that we will never forget or forgive.” Following the attack, two other residential buildings in the village were reported partially destroyed.
This tragic incident comes in the backdrop of intensifying Russian aerial assaults across Ukraine, with the country’s leaders persistently calling for more advanced air defense technologies to safeguard civilians.
Ukraine's government has been advocating for Western support in terms of long-range missile capabilities to strike important Russian military assets beyond frontline territories effectively. US Vice-President JD Vance recently indicated that Washington might consider Ukraine's request for long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Furthermore, the European Commission has pledged €2 billion towards drone technology to enhance Ukraine's defense capabilities, aiming for long-term benefits in this ongoing conflict.
While US President Donald Trump and European leaders strive to negotiate a ceasefire, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to resist, complicating the resolution of the conflict amidst substantial combat losses on both sides.
