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Russian attack on retirement home in Sumy kills at least 1, injures 14

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Russian attack on retirement home in Sumy kills at least 1, injures 14
Elderly people after a Russian attack on a retirement home in the city of Sumy, Ukraine, on Sept. 19, 2024. (Ukraine's State Emergency Service)

Editor's note: This story is being updated.

Russian forces attacked a retirement home in the city of Sumy with a guided aerial bomb on Sept. 19, killing one person and injuring at least 14 others, regional officials said.

A total of 221 elderly people lived in the retirement home, according to Ihor Kalchenko, a Sumy regional military administration official.

The attack partially destroyed two floors of the building, the Interior Ministry said. There are no people trapped under the rubble.

A total of 147 people have been evacuated.  

"People are being moved to new prepared places. They need medical and psychological assistance," the governor said on national television.

"It (the attack) happened in the afternoon. People were having lunch or resting and were shocked."

Russia has intensified its attacks on bordering Sumy Oblast, which the military considers to be a response to Kyiv's success in the Kursk operation that was launched in early August. Ukrainian authorities are planning to evacuate a total of 45,000 residents from the region.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine's Kursk Oblast incursion has helped prevent the occupation of Sumy Oblast and its regional center, the city of Sumy.

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Kateryna Denisova

Politics Reporter

Kateryna Denisova is the reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in Ukrainian politics. Based in Kyiv, she focuses on domestic affairs, parliament, and social issues. Kateryna began her career in journalism in 2020 and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Before joining the team, she worked at the NV media outlet. Kateryna also studied at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.

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