Russia hits Ukraine's Chernihiv, Sumy oblasts in morning attacks, killing 4

Russian forces struck the city of Pryluky in Chernihiv Oblast with a ballistic missile and attacked the Hlukhiv community in neighboring Sumy Oblast with drones on the morning of May 19, killing four people and injuring at least 25 others, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The attacks came as Russia continued large-scale aerial strikes across Ukraine and intensified attacks on energy infrastructure. Overnight, Moscow launched 209 drones at Ukraine, according to the Air Force.

The strike on Pryluky hit around 10 a.m. local time after Ukraine's Air Force warned of a ballistic missile threat targeting the city.

According to the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration, the missile struck near a local business in the city center. The attack damaged a nearby shopping mall, a supermarket, and firefighting equipment.

"Two people were killed and 21 others injured, including a 14-year-old child," the State Emergency Service said. "Medics are providing the injured with all necessary assistance."

Ukraine's State Emergency Service added that a fire broke out in a warehouse belonging to a shopping center chain following the strike. Firefighters later extinguished the blaze.

Separately, Russian forces attacked the Hlukhiv community in Sumy Oblast with drones on the morning of May 19, killing two men aged 52 and 58 and injuring four others, local authorities said.

According to the Sumy Oblast Prosecutor's Office, Russia struck civilian infrastructure in the Shostka district with two drones at around 10 a.m. The attack damaged administrative buildings and apartment blocks in the city of Hlukhiv.

Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov said the injured included two women and two men, all of whom were hospitalized.

Chernihiv and neighboring Sumy oblasts, which border Russia for roughly 230 kilometers (143 miles) and 560 kilometers (348 miles) respectively, have faced frequent cross-border attacks throughout the full-scale war due to their proximity to Russian territory.

Both regions also came under heavy overnight attacks. In Chernihiv Oblast, Russian drone strikes injured three civilians, including an 84-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man in the city of Chernihiv, while another man was wounded in an FPV drone attack on the village of Shyshkivka, local authorities said.

In Sumy Oblast, Russian forces carried out nearly 110 attacks against 45 settlements,  injuring two people and damaging civilian infrastructure, according to regional authorities.