Local authorities have reported that Russian forces launched an air attack on energy infrastructure in the city of Sumy using Shahed drones overnight on 18 September. The Sumy military administration stated that no people were injured in the attack. However, they emphasized that the oblast’s power system is under strain due to ongoing Russian attacks. As a result, authorities have asked consumers to reduce electricity consumption, especially during peak hours.
According to the administration, air defense forces in the Sumy Oblast successfully destroyed 16 Russian Shahed drones overnight. They also reported that the Russians carried out 37 shellings of border areas and settlements in Sumy Oblast, resulting in 57 explosions. While multiple communities in the oblast were targeted, no casualties were reported.
This attack follows a previous strike on 16 September, when Russian forces used Shahed drones to hit Konotop and Sumy. Ukrainian military officials have reported that Russia attacked with 52 Shahed drones and three Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missiles overnight. In response, Ukraine’s air defense downed 46 Shaheds, while five more UAVs were lost. One Russian drone even flew back to Russia.
In Kropyvnytskyi, the attack resulted in one fatality and injured a 90-year-old woman. Governor Andriy Raikovych also reported damage to residential buildings in the city. In the Mykolaiv Oblast, four Shahed drones were destroyed overnight. Additionally, on the night of 18 September, around 03:45 am, Russia attacked the Bashtanka district of Mykolaiv Oblast with a cruise missile, causing a fire in dry grass on agricultural enterprise territory. Fortunately, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, according to Governor Vitaliy Kim.
Despite these attacks, the Russian leadership denies deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian cities and villages during the full-scale war. However, Ukrainian authorities and international organizations classify these strikes as war crimes committed by the Russian Federation, emphasizing their deliberate nature.
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