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 said 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 19 direct hits in six locations.
Russia's military has not commented, but stated it destroyed 81 Ukrainian drones in some regions overnight with no reported casualties.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Following the attack, Hryhorov accused Russian forces of deliberately targeting a residential area in Chernechchyna and described the loss of the whole family as a tragedy that we will never forget or forgive.
Ukraine's state emergencies service reported that two residential buildings were partially destroyed during the attack. Firefighters were deployed to control the resulting blazes.
The recent weeks have seen an escalation in Russian aerial assaults, with numerous drone and missile strikes hitting various Ukrainian locations.
Ukraine has urged its Western allies for advanced air defense systems to cope with these frequent attacks. The need for long-range missiles to hit targets deep within Russia has also been emphasized by Ukrainian officials, aiming to weaken the Russian military's capabilities.
US Vice-President JD Vance indicated that Washington is considering a request from Ukraine for long-range Tomahawk missiles, which could bring major Russian cities within the reach of Ukrainian forces.
Additionally, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an agreement with Ukraine to allocate €2 billion for drone technologies, which would enhance Ukraine's defense capabilities.
