Thu Jan 30 21:02:59 IST 2025: ## Russian Drone Strike Kills Six in Sumy, Ukraine
**KYIV, Ukraine (January 30, 2025)** – A Russian Shahed drone strike on an apartment building in Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, early Thursday morning resulted in the deaths of at least six people and injuries to nine others. The attack, which occurred just after 1 a.m., blew a hole in the building’s wall and shattered surrounding windows. Four people were rescued from the rubble, and a child was among the injured. The Sumy regional administration evacuated 120 residents and declared two days of mourning.
The victims were identified by the Sumy Regional Prosecutors’ Office as three older married couples. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as a “terrible tragedy, a terrible Russian crime.”
The attack comes amidst a wider pattern of Russian aggression. According to Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, Russia is now using Shahed drones with increased explosive payloads (90 kilograms) to maximize casualties. He shared images of what he claimed were the modified warheads. Heavy fighting continues in the eastern Donetsk region, where a separate Russian artillery strike injured 13, including two children. Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin urged remaining civilians to evacuate.
The Ukrainian air force reported that over 80 Russian drones targeted Ukraine overnight, though most were intercepted. In Odesa, drone strikes damaged a hospital and two apartment buildings, though there were no reported injuries. The ongoing conflict, nearing three years, has already claimed the lives of over 10,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations, and continues to inflict hardship through attacks on infrastructure.
First Piper 