Russian drone strike in Ukraine kills three from one family, including 13-year-old boy

A firefighter works at the site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the Sumy region, Ukraine, June 22, 2026. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Sumy region/Handout via Reuters

Russian drones killed five people early Monday (June 22, 2026), including an Egyptian sailor in the Black Sea and a family of three in Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, Ukrainian officials said.

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Moscow and Kyiv have intensified attacks on each other in recent weeks, as U.S.-led talks on ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II remain effectively frozen.

“A drone strike set fire to a vessel sailing under the flag of Panama. A crew member was killed — a 58-year-old cook, a citizen of Egypt,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said on Telegram.

Eight other sailors, including citizens of Turkey and India, abandoned ship on a life raft, while the vessel “sustained significant damage and lost seaworthiness”, Mr. Kuleba added.

A separate Russian drone strike killed a family of three in the Sumy region — a 13-year-old boy, his 36-year-old father, and his 73-year-old grandmother, the region’s prosecution service said.

“The 31-year-old mother of the deceased boy, his 10-year-old brother, and 13-year-old sister were also injured,” it added.

A Russian drone set a home ablaze in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing a woman, the region’s governor said on Telegram.

In Russia, aviation authorities briefly closed Moscow’s four airports after air defences intercepted a flurry of Ukrainian drones .Russian air defences destroyed 301 Ukrainian drones overnight, according to the Russian defence ministry.

Moscow-installed authorities in the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula suspended fuel sales on Sunday, after a string of Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries in Russia.

On Monday (June 22), officials there announced they were halting children’s group summer trips to the peninsula because of the worsening situation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly rejected an offer from Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky for direct peace talks, vowing instead to achieve Russia’s war aims on the battlefield.

Published - June 22, 2026 04:50 pm IST