UPDATE - Ukraine says Russia conducted drone attack on energy facilities in Sumy region

ADDS STATEMENT BY RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russia conducted a drone attack on energy facilities in the country’s northeastern Sumy region.

A statement by the Sumy Regional Military Administration said on Telegram that the overnight attack affected settlements in the region’s Konotop, Okhtyrka and Sumy districts.

“Objects of critical infrastructure -- water canals, hospitals and others -- are connected to backup power systems,” the statement added.

It claimed country’s air defenses downed 16 attack drones over the region, and emergency crews were conducting work to restore power.

Ukraine’s air force said air defenses downed 34 out of 51 drones launched by Russia during an overnight attack.

It said that aside from Sumy, air defense also worked in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Poltava and Kharkiv regions.

In a later statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said it struck energy facilities that "support the activities of enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine."