Russian forces launched 97 strike drones on Ukraine during the night of 24 June, resulting in civilian casualties and infrastructure damage across multiple regions.
The Air Forces reported that their air defenses intercepted 78 drones out of 97, with 63 of them destroyed by fire weapons while 15 were either locationally lost or suppressed through electronic warfare systems. The remaining 19 drones struck targets in six locations across the country’s eastern, southern, and northern regions.
Attack on Sumy: Russia kills people in their sleep
The most severe casualties occurred in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast, where three people died after Russian drones targeted the Verkhniosyrovatska community around midnight, according to the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Oleh Hryhorov.
Among the dead were a 5-year-old boy, a 52-year-old man, and an 84-year-old woman, regional prosecutors confirmed. Six others sustained injuries, including two 17-year-old girls and a 12-year-old boy. Emergency workers retrieved bodies from the rubble of destroyed buildings.
“The strike took the lives of people from different families. They all lived on the same street. They went to sleep in their homes. But Russian drones interrupted their sleep — forever,” Hryhorov stated.
The attack destroyed seven residential buildings and damaged 22 houses along with six vehicles. Three additional people were pulled from debris, with one person hospitalized in critical condition. Regional authorities reported 18 people were wounded across Sumy Oblast during the 24-hour period.
Russia injures civilians, damages homes in Kharkiv
In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, enemy drones struck three locations during the overnight assault, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov. Seven Shahed-type drones targeted the city, with one failing to detonate upon impact.
The strikes injured four people, including a 15-year-old girl who sought medical attention.
Infrastructure damage in Kharkiv included 17 private homes, a hospital, a civilian enterprise, six automobiles, electrical networks, utility buildings, and a garage. Additionally, a 65-year-old woman was wounded in Ivashky village within the broader Kharkiv Oblast.
