Eight Dead After Russian Drone Strikes Hit Ukrainian Medical Center

Eight people were killed in Russian drone attacks on a medical center in Sumy, northeast Ukraine. The attacks, with the second occurring during evacuation efforts, left eleven injured. Ukrainian forces reported downing numerous Russian drones overnight. President Zelenskyy is in the US, seeking support for his 'victory plan.'

Eight people lost their lives in two consecutive Russian drone attacks on a medical center in the northeast Ukrainian city of Sumy, Al Jazeera reported on Saturday, citing Ukrainian officials. According to Ukraine's Interior Minister, Ihor Klymenko, the second attack occurred while patients and personnel were being evacuated after the first one on Saturday morning claimed one life.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted on his Telegram channel that eleven people were injured when Russia employed Shahed drones to strike the hospital. Sumy is situated just across the border from Russia's Kursk region, where Kyiv launched a surprise attack on August 6, aiming to create a 'buffer zone' within Russia, according to Al Jazeera.

Prosecutors stated that the second attack took place around 8:25 AM (05:25 GMT) as rescuers and police assisted and evacuated patients at the scene. Regional prosecutors reported that the hospital housing 86 patients and 38 staff members was targeted during the first attack in Sumy on Saturday, which occurred at roughly 7:35 AM (04:35 GMT).

The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down two of the four missiles and 69 of the 73 Russian drones launched overnight. Kyiv city authorities added that about fifteen drones were shot down above the Ukrainian capital and its surroundings, according to Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced on Saturday that air defenses had shot down four Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region and one over the Kursk region, both bordering Ukraine.

President Zelenskyy visited the US on Thursday to seek support for Ukraine, meeting with US President Joe Biden and Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris to discuss what he has recently termed his 'victory plan.' (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)