KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� A Russian strike on a nine-story building in the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine killed eight people and wounded dozens, an official said Sunday, as Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack described by officials as the
Among the eight killed in Sumy, 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the border with Russia, were two children, said Ukraine鈥檚 Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko. More than 400 people were evacuated from the building.
The rescuers were checking every apartment looking for people who might be still in the damaged building.
鈥淓very life destroyed by Russia is a big tragedy,鈥� said Klymenko.
The drone and missile attack, which targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, came as fears are mounting about Moscow鈥檚 intentions to devastate Ukraine's power generation capacity ahead of the winter.
Also Sunday, by Ukraine to strike inside Russia, after extensive lobbying by Ukrainian officials.
The weapons are likely to be used in response to North Korea's decision to send thousands of troops to support Russia in the Kursk region where Ukraine mounted a military incursion over the summer.
It is the second time the U.S. has permitted the use of Western weapons inside Russian territory within limits after permitting the use of HIMARS systems, a shorter-range weapon, to stem Russia's advance in Kharkiv region in May.
The first reaction from Ukraine to the long-awaited decision from the U.S. was notably restrained.
鈥淭oday, much is being said in the media about us receiving permission for the relevant actions. But strikes are not made with words. Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves,鈥� said Ukraine鈥檚 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly video address.
Earlier, Zelenskyy said that Russia had launched a total of 120 missiles and 90 drones in a . Various types of drones were deployed, he said, including Iranian-made Shaheds, as well as cruise, ballistic and aircraft-launched ballistic missiles.
Ukrainian defenses shot down 144 out of a total of 210 air targets, Ukraine's air force reported later on Sunday.
鈥淭he enemy鈥檚 target was our energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine. Unfortunately, there is damage to objects from hits and falling debris. In Mykolaiv, as a result of a drone attack, two people were killed and six others were injured, including two children," Zelenskyy said.
Two more people were killed in the Odesa region, where the attack damaged energy infrastructure and disrupted power and water supplies, said local Gov. Oleh Kiper. Both victims were employees of Ukraine's state-owned power grid operator, Ukrenergo, the company said hours later.
The combined drone and missile attack was the most powerful in three months, according to the head of Kyiv鈥檚 City Military Administration, Serhii Popko.
One person was injured after the roof of a five-story residential building caught fire in Kyiv鈥檚 historic center, according to Popko.
A thermal power plant operated by private energy company DTEK was 鈥渟eriously damaged,鈥� the company said.
Russian strikes have hammered Ukraine鈥檚 power infrastructure since Moscow鈥檚 all-out , prompting repeated emergency power shutdowns and nationwide rolling blackouts. Ukrainian officials have routinely urged Western allies to bolster the country鈥檚 air defenses to counter assaults and allow for repairs.
Explosions were heard across Ukraine on Sunday, including in the capital, Kyiv, the key southern port of Odesa, as well as the country鈥檚 west and central regions, according to local reports.
The operational command of Poland鈥檚 armed forces wrote on X that Polish and allied aircraft, including fighter jets, have been mobilized in Polish airspace because of the 鈥渕assive鈥� Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine. The steps were aimed to provide safety in Poland's border areas, it said.
Russia鈥檚 Defense Ministry on Sunday acknowledged carrying out a 鈥渕ass鈥� missile and drone attack on 鈥渃ritical energy infrastructure鈥� in Ukraine, but claimed all targeted facilities were tied to Kyiv鈥檚 military industry.
Although Ukraine鈥檚 nuclear plants were not directly impacted, several electrical substations on which they depend suffered further damage, the U.N.鈥檚 nuclear energy watchdog said in a statement Sunday. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, only two of Ukraine鈥檚 nine operational reactors continue to generate power at full capacity.
Ukrainian drones strike Russia
A local journalist died Sunday as Ukrainian drones struck Russia's embattled Kursk region, its Gov. Aleksei Smirnov reported.
Moscow鈥檚 forces have for months strained to dislodge Ukrainian troops from the southern province after a bold incursion in August that constituted the largest attack on Russia since World War II and saw battle-hardened Ukrainian units swiftly take hundreds of square miles (kilometers) of territory.
In Russia鈥檚 Belgorod province, near Ukraine, a man died on the spot after a Ukrainian drone dropped explosives on his car, local Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported.
Another Ukrainian drone on Sunday targeted a drone factory in Izhevsk, deep inside Russia, according to anti-Kremlin Russian news channels on the Telegram messaging app. The regional leader, Aleksandr Brechalov, reported that a drone exploded near a factory in the city, blowing out windows but causing no serious damage. A man was briefly hospitalized with a head injury, Brechalov said.
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Samya Kullab And Joanna Kozlowska, The Associated Press
