Russian drone strikes apartment block in Ukraine, killing four, governor says

"This is a terrible tragedy, a terrible Russian crime. It is very important that the world does not stop putting pressure on Russia for this terror," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said via the Telegram messaging app.

Russia launched 81 drones at Ukraine overnight, damaging businesses and homes around the country, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday.

The air force shot down 37 drones, 39 others did not reach their targets. It did not specify what happened to the five remaining drones.

Sumy Governor Volodymyr Artyukh, shown in a video on Telegram in front of a crane and piles of rubble, said emergency services were pulling residents out from parts of the building.

The attack ruined five apartments and damaged over 20 cars, authorities said. Work on site continued into Thursday morning, with emergency services sharing pictures of rescuers sifting through the rubble.

The region borders Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an incursion in August 2024, and has been regularly attacked by Russian drones.

The overnight attack on the southern region of Odesa also damaged a grain warehouse, a hospital and two private residences without causing any casualties, according to the governor.

Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians but thousands have been killed and injured after Moscow's troops launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Anastasiia Malenko; Editing by Sandra Maler and Kim Coghill)