Russian kamikaze drones made a direct hit on a multi-story apartment building.
Source: ДСНС України
The night of December 7-8 brought scenes that are difficult to describe to the residents of Okhtýrka in the Sumy Region. Russian kamikaze drones struck directly at a multistory apartment building, transforming an ordinary night into a living hell.
According to Ukrainian emergency services, several rockets hit the roof and wall of the nine-story building. The resulting explosion caused fire to quickly spread to apartments on the second to fifth floors. The blast was so powerful that people had to be rescued from the blocked-off rooms.
At least seven people were injured, including one child.
35 residents were evacuated at the last minute.
Flames, screams and a fight for life
“It all started suddenly – a bang, a light, then just fire and smoke,” residents report.
In the middle of the night, people tried to escape from the burning building, but some apartments were cut off by destroyed walls and collapsed ceilings.
Rescuers worked in dramatic conditions.
The fire spread across several floors simultaneously, and firefighters were interrupted several times due to the risk of further drone attacks. Nevertheless, they returned to the building at every possible break to search for people trapped in the destroyed apartments.
The block was burned from the inside. People lost everything.
Many apartments are no longer fit for habitation. Burnt-out rooms, broken windows, torn-out walls, and a ceiling ripped out by a drone explosion—this is what a place looks like today, where just a few hours earlier people were sleeping, eating dinner, and living normal lives.
The services are still examining the structure of the building, and residents are being provided with psychological and material assistance.
Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure continue relentlessly: drones, missiles, and glide bombs. Every night in Ukraine, sirens sound, and people fall asleep thinking this could be their last peaceful evening.
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