Russian attacks kill at least 2 as Ukraine strikes a Russian drone factory

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian strikes killed at least two people in Ukraine, officials said Sunday, as Ukraine’s military struck a drone factory in southwestern Russia.

A 16-year-old boy died and four others were injured in a “massive” nighttime drone strike on Chernihiv in northern Ukraine, according to the head of the city’s military administration.

Rescuers found the teenager’s body as they cleared away rubble, Dmytro Bryzhynskyi reported on Telegram on Sunday morning. He said the drone strike also injured three women and one man. Several houses were set on fire, he added.

On Sunday morning, Russian drones also attacked the southern city of Kherson, local officials reported.

A man died of his wounds after a drone hit a van driving through the city centre, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the regional administration. A second man was hospitalized with blast injuries, regional authorities said.

Russia launched 236 drones into Ukrainian territory overnight into Sunday, Ukraine’s air force reported. Of those, 203 drones were shot down while 32 hit targets in 18 separate locations, it said.

Ukraine says it struck a Russian drone factory

Meanwhile, Ukraine hit a drone factory in the city of Taganrog, Ukraine’s General Staff reported. The site lies some 55 kilometers (35 miles) east of Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine in southwestern Russia.

According to the military, Ukrainian drones sparked a fire at the Atlant Aero factory, which designs and produces strike and reconnaissance drones, as well as components for more powerful UAVs that can carry guided bombs weighing up to 250 kilograms (550 pounds).

Three people were injured in a nighttime air attack on commercial infrastructure in Taganrog, according to the Russian regional governor, Yuri Slyusar. He did not specify what facility was hit, but said warehouses were set on fire following the strike.

Taganrog Mayor Svetlana Kambulova said the strike damaged “commercial enterprises” in the city, as well as a vocational school and multiple cars.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its forces shot down 274 Ukrainian drones during the night, as well as guided aerial bombs and a Ukrainian-made Neptune missile. The ministry did not say how many struck targets.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine