Russian forces launched a massive drone assault against Ukraine overnight on 18-19 November, killing nine people, including an eight-year-old boy, in Sumy Oblast and causing infrastructure damage in other regions.
The Air Force of Ukraine reports that Russian forces deployed 87 attack drones, including Shahed-type UAVs and unidentified models, from Russia’s Kursk and Orel oblasts, as well as occupied Crimea. The attack began at 19:30 on 18 November.
As of 9:00, “51 enemy UAVs have been confirmed shot down,” the Air Force stated, with interceptions occurring in Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Kyiv, Poltava, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv oblasts. Thirty drones disappeared from radars in various regions, with one UAV remaining in Ukrainian airspace as combat operations continued. 30 other drones were “locationally lost,” meaning crashed “as a result of active countermeasures,” while one drone remained in the air at the time of reporting.
Hlukhiv dormitory strike
In Hlukhiv, Sumy Oblast, Russian forces struck a dormitory of an educational institution with two Shahed drones around 23:30 on 18 November, Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported. According to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, as of 10:05, nine people were killed and 11 injured, including two children. The regional prosecutor’s office confirmed that an eight-year-old boy was among the dead.
The police added that two children, aged 10 and 11, were among the injured in Hlukhiv. Two apartment buildings and a hospital sustained damage in the attack. The Emergency Service noted that four people might remain trapped under the rubble as rescue operations continue.
Update: The Emergency Service updates that 10 are dead, including 1 child, and 13 injured, including 3 children, following the strike on Hlukhiv. Three people are believed to be trapped under the rubble of a partially destroyed dormitory.
In Zaporizhzhia Ovblast, regional chief Ivan Fedorov reported that Russian forces targeted the city with more than 10 Shahed drones on the evening of 18 November. A Liga journalist in the city reported dozens of powerful explosions and flashes in the sky. The attack targeted energy infrastructure, leaving 15,600 consumers without power, though electricity has been restored to nearly 2,000 customers, according to Fedorov.
The Kyiv City Military Administration reported air defense activity in the region around 3 a.m., while the Ukrainian public broadcaster noted air defense operations in Cherkasy Oblast around 5 and 7 a.m.
Related:
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- Massive Russian attack on Ukraine’s power grid with 90 drones and 120 missiles causes power outages and casualties (updated)
- Two children among eight dead in Russian missile attack on Sumy
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