Details of the attack on Okhtyrka by 15 Russian drones

On the night of August 20, Okhtyrka was attacked by 15 Russian drones. The destruction of residential buildings is on five streets of the city. As a result of the hits, fires broke out, rescuers extinguished them until morning. A total of about 40 houses were damaged. Locals told Suspilne about the attack.

Around midnight, the Russian military attacked Okhtyrka with fifteen strike drones. 8 of them hit the residential sector of Okhtyrka, said the head of the regional military administration, Oleg Grigorov. As a result of the hits, fires broke out in various places.

Vasyl Yukhymov was at home with his wife at the time of the attack.

“It probably exploded 15 times, smashing everything. All the windows flew out, the roof was blown away. It started at exactly two o’clock, I heard three explosions, and I don’t know who heard how many. The neighbors had a lot of damage: buildings, fences, and everything in the world,” recalls Vasyl Khoroshulya.

Damage was recorded on five streets of the city. From under the rubble, employees of the State Emergency Service rescued a woman, who was handed over to doctors, rescuers reported.

By morning, several burning areas remained in the city as a result of the hits. Rescuers, police officers, and volunteers continued their work.

“There was a direct hit here, a family was injured, they were provided with medical assistance. In total, about 40 households were damaged, all services are working now, we are providing assistance. We have 5 more locations, we will call in one by one, provide building materials,” says Dmytro Shandyba, commander of the TChHU rapid response unit.

Anatoliy Reznikov moved to Okhtyrka from Velyka Pysarivka. He says he has lived in this house for 20 years.

“I just left the bedroom and went into the corridor – there was an explosion opposite our house. I went outside, ran across the road, wanted to find out if help was needed – the State Emergency Service appeared 15 minutes later and put out the fire,” explains Anatoliy.

“They came out of nowhere, the first one was in the direction of Sumy, then from the side of Zinkov as well, the third group of UAVs was from the side of Poltava,” says local Volodymyr Periuk.

“The raid was quick: bang, bang, then it was terrifying here, I hear, glass and windows were falling. I thought, it was mine, but I had targets. Then everyone came out to watch – it was terrifying, there was a fire there,” recalls local Borys Timonov.

In total, 14 people were injured, three of them children, 8 patients are being examined in the hospital, the rest are being treated as outpatients. The youngest child, a five-month-old boy, has an acute stress reaction, but his life is not in danger.

As a result of the strike, 39 private houses and one two-story building were damaged. A specially created commission is examining the hit sites, and people will be provided with assistance, says Volodymyr Guts, the head of the executive committee.