KYIV, Ukraine — Sunday brought fresh casualties from the ongoing conflict as Russian drone strikes claimed at least two Ukrainian lives, while Ukrainian forces responded by targeting a Russian unmanned aircraft production facility.
The youngest victim was a 16-year-old boy who perished during what officials described as an extensive overnight drone assault on Chernihiv in Ukraine’s northern region. Emergency crews discovered the teenager’s remains while removing debris from the attack site, city military administrator Dmytro Bryzhynskyi announced via Telegram Sunday morning.
“The drone strike also injured three women and one man. Several houses were set on fire,” Bryzhynskyi reported.
The southern Ukrainian city of Kherson faced its own drone bombardment Sunday morning, resulting in a second fatality. Regional administrator Oleksandr Prokudin confirmed that a man succumbed to injuries after a drone struck his van as he traveled through downtown Kherson. Another man required hospitalization for blast-related trauma, regional officials stated.
Ukraine’s air defense forces worked through the night to counter a massive aerial assault, with the country’s air force documenting 236 Russian drones entering Ukrainian airspace. Defense systems successfully intercepted 203 of these aircraft, though 32 managed to strike targets across 18 different areas.
Ukrainian forces launched their own counteroffensive, targeting the Atlant Aero facility located in Taganrog, approximately 55 kilometers east of Russian-controlled eastern Ukrainian territory. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed that their drones ignited fires at this southwestern Russian factory.
The targeted facility specializes in creating strike and surveillance drones, along with parts for larger unmanned vehicles capable of carrying guided explosives weighing up to 250 kilograms, according to military sources.
Russian regional governor Yuri Slyusar acknowledged that three individuals sustained injuries during the nighttime assault on commercial infrastructure in Taganrog. While he declined to identify the specific target, Slyusar confirmed that warehouses caught fire following the attack.
Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova reported damage to local businesses, a technical training school, and numerous vehicles from the strike.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces intercepted 274 Ukrainian drones overnight, along with guided aerial bombs and a Ukrainian-manufactured Neptune missile, though they provided no information about successful strikes on Russian targets.
