Russian drone strikes apartment block in Ukraine, killing nine, Zelenskiy says

A Russian drone struck a multi-storey apartment building in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy early on Thursday, killing nine people and injuring 13, including a child, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

"Hour by hour we get updates on the situation in Sumy. Work at the site of the impact of a Russian 'Shahed' (drone) are proceeding," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

"This has become a hallmark of Russian actions -- destroying the lives of many families of an entire building. Every such strike needs an answer from the world," he said. "Terror cannot be left unpunished."

Russia launched 81 drones at Ukraine overnight, damaging businesses and homes around the country, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday.

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The air force shot down 37 drones, while 39 others did not reach their targets. It did not specify what happened to the five remaining drones.

Sumy Governor Volodymyr Artyukh, shown in a video on Telegram in the night in front of a crane and piles of rubble, said emergency services were pulling residents out from parts of the building.

The attack destroyed five apartments and damaged over 20 cars, authorities said. Online pictures showed emergency crews sifting through rubble.

The region borders Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an incursion in August 2024, and has been regularly attacked by Russian drones.

An overnight attack on the southern region of Odesa damaged a grain warehouse, a hospital and two private residences without causing any casualties, according to the governor.

Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians but thousands have been killed and injured after Moscow's troops launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.