Russia attacks 11 communities in Sumy Oblast, injuring 5

Illustrative purposes only: Aftermath of the Russian attack on an apartment building in Sumy overnight on March 13, 2024. (Ukraine's State Emergency Service)

Russian forces attacked Sumy Oblast 450 times in 77 separate attacks throughout the day, injuring five people, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported on March 14.

The communities of Khotin, Myropillia, Mykolaiv, Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Esman, Seredyna-Buda, Shalyhyne, and Znob-Novhorodske were targeted.

In the town of Seredyna-Buda four people were hospitalized as a result of Russian shelling. While in the town of Bilopillia, one person was injured as a result of a rocket attack.

No details were provided on the extent of their injuries.

Throughout the day, Russia assailed the border communities with mortar, helicopter, artillery, tank, drone, and grenade launcher attacks. Explosives were also dropped by drones onto two of the communities.

The town of Velyka Pysarivka, with a pre-war population of about 4,000 residents, experienced the bulk of the attacks reported with 274 explosions recorded in the area. The community is located directly on the Ukraine-Russia border.

Shelling is a daily occurrence for the communities near Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia, with residents in the region's vulnerable border settlements experience multiple attacks per day.

Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast have become increasingly destructive in recent weeks.

Last week, a Russian drone strike in Sumy during the early hours of March 6 injured four people and caused damage to multiple homes, schools, and medical centers. Another attack on March 7, killed two people and injured 26, with six civilians hospitalized.

On March 12, a number of Ukrainian military units consisting of Russian fighters had taken control of the bordering village of Tyotkino in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

Tyotkino is located just a few kilometers across the border from many of the Sumy Oblast communities targeted by Russia.

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