Russian planes bomb cities in northeastern Ukraine, killing civilians

Russian warplanes on Tuesday bombed the cities of Sumy and Okhtyrka in northeastern Ukraine, causing sizable destruction and civilian deaths, officials said.

Fire fighters put out a fire in an apartment block in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv as the Russian invasion of the country continues, on Monday, March 7, 2022.

PAP/DSNS

According to local authorities, at least 14 people were killed in the air attack, including children, Poland’s PAP news agency reported. 

The nexta.tv website quoted the head of the Sumy regional state administration as saying that  the Russian planes dropped bombs on residential areas of the city. 

“There are dead and wounded, including children,” the website reported.

The head of the #Sumy Regional State Administration, Dmytro Zhyvitsky, reports that #Russian planes dropped bombs on residential areas of the city.

There are dead and wounded, including children. pic.twitter.com/9YaKRvACsH

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 8, 2022

In Okhtyrka, the Russians also targeted residential districts, as well as city infrastructure, including a heat and power plant, PAP reported.

As a result of the fighting over Sumy and Okhtyrka, the Ukrainian army stopped four large columns of Russian armoured vehicles, according to the Ukrinform news agency.

Tuesday is day thirteen of the Russian assault on Ukraine, which began on February 24. 

Poland has admitted nearly 1.1 million refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Polish Border Guard agency reported on Monday.

(pm)

Source: PAP