Residents of Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast endured more than 12 hours of air raid alerts over the last 24 hours, with the Russian attack damaging civilian infrastructure and injuring two people.

The Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight drone assault on Ukraine on 19 May, deploying 112 Shahed strike drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles.

Ukrainian defense forces managed to neutralize 76 of the attacking drones through various countermeasures. Military officials specified that 41 drones were destroyed by direct fire, while electronic warfare systems suppressed or caused the loss of tracking for another 35 drones.

The attack affected multiple regions across Ukraine including Sumy, Kherson, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Cherkasy, and Kirovohrad.

Sumy Oblast bears brunt of sustained attacks

In Sumy Oblast, where air raid alerts persisted for 12 hours and 17 minutes, Russian forces conducted 135 separate attacks targeting 24 settlements across 14 territorial communities. The most intense shelling occurred in the Sumy, Shostka, and Konotop districts.

The attacks employed various weapons systems, including approximately 10 guided aerial bomb strikes and 60 drone-dropped VOG grenade attacks, alongside a missile strike on the region.

In the Shostka community, preliminary reports indicated six drone strikes damaged the infrastructure of a local enterprise. The attack also damaged four residential buildings, non-residential premises, and a vehicle in the area.

Two civilians suffered injuries during these attacks. A 44-year-old security guard at an enterprise in Shostka was wounded during the nighttime drone strike, while a 47-year-old resident of the Esman community was injured by mortar shelling. Both victims have been hospitalized and are receiving medical treatment.

Additional property damage was reported in the Konotop and Khotin communities, where non-residential premises and residential buildings were damaged respectively.

Fatal attack in Kherson

The situation proved deadly in Kherson, where Russian forces struck residential areas around 10:30 p.m. The Kherson City Military Administration confirmed that a 75-year-old woman suffered “injuries incompatible with life” when an enemy shell made a direct hit on a house.

Three additional civilians required hospitalization: a 76-year-old man and two 53-year-old women. Medical reports indicate they are being treated for concussions, explosive injuries, and closed craniocerebral trauma.

The nighttime timing of the attacks, which occurred while many residents were asleep in their homes, has been noted by Ukrainian officials as part of the assault strategy.

Injured civilians in Kharkiv

Russian forces struck three settlements in Kharkiv Oblast, using 4 guided aerial bombs and 14 “Geran-2” UAVs.

The attack on Kupiansk district damaged 30 private houses, 2 outbuildings, a garage, agricultural enterprise buildings, a tractor, and 3 trucks, while also injuring three people.

In Chuhuiv district, the strike damaged a private house, an agricultural enterprise, 4 combine harvesters, a tractor, a bus, and two cars.