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, and their parents were later recovered from the wreckage.
Ukraine's air force reported that its units shot down 46 out of 65 Russian drones across the country; however, there were still 19 direct hits across six locations.
Russia's military has not commented on the attack. They claimed to have destroyed 81 Ukrainian drones overnight in five regions, with no casualties reported.
Since the start of the war in February 2022, Ukraine has been pleading for more advanced air defense weaponry from western allies to counteract the regular drone and missile attacks.
In the aftermath of the tragic loss, Hryhorov accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, a statement indicating the severe impact of drone warfare on non-combatants.
As Russia ramps up its aerial assaults, with hundreds of drones launched daily, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely.
