Russian Drone Strikes Kill Three In Ukraine, Leave 370,000 Without Power

Russian drone strikes across Ukraine killed at least three people and wounded several others early on Friday, while attacks on energy infrastructure left around 370,000 people without electricity in the north-western region of Volyn, officials said. Two shopping centres, in Sumy and Rivne, were also hit.

The attacks affected several regions, from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine to Volyn in the north-west, where strikes on the energy grid disrupted electricity supplies. Reuters reported that around 100,000 people had regained power by later Friday morning, although Lutsk Mayor Andriy Razumovskyi warned that the blackout in the regional capital could last at least 24 hours.

In Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine, two people were killed and 12 others wounded in attacks on three districts of the city, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. He had initially reported three deaths before revising the toll to two.

A separate drone strike on a food-processing facility in Volyn killed one person and injured eight others, Governor Roman Romaniuk said. Emergency crews were deployed to repair the damaged power grid as residents across the region faced electricity outages.

Lutsk Mayor Andriy Razumovskyi said in a Facebook post that the power cut in the city could last for at least 24 hours. The restoration work had brought electricity back to around 100,000 people by later in the morning, Romaniuk said.

Shopping Centres Hit In Sumy And Rivne

Officials reported drone strikes on shopping centres in Sumy, a northern city close to the front line, and in the neighbouring Rivne region. Reuters reported that the attacks were part of a series of Russian assaults on shopping malls and markets.

Images released by emergency services in Sumy showed blood on the floor and damage to the entrance of the shopping centre.

In Rivne, seven people were wounded when drones struck a major shopping centre and other sites, regional Governor Oleksandr Koval said.