Ukraine's President Zelenskyy vows harsh retaliation for Russia's missile assault in Chernihiv that killed seven people

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised harsh punishment on Sunday for Russia’s missile assault in the centre of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, which killed seven people and injured hundreds more.

“I am sure our soldiers will respond to Russia for this terrorist attack. Respond tangibly,” Zelenskyy said in a video address published in the early hours of Sunday at the end of a visit to Sweden, his first foreign trip since attending a NATO summit in Lithuania last month.

He identified Sofia, a six-year-old girl, as one of the victims of the attack and verified that 15 children were injured.

Vyacheslav Chaus, the governor of the Chernihiv region, announced on Sunday that the total number of individuals injured had grown to 148.

According to Kharkiv regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov, Russian soldiers bombarded the city of Kupiansk on Sunday morning, critically injuring a civilian.

Meanwhile, in Russia, five people were injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a train station in the city of Kursk early Sunday, according to regional governor Roman Starovoit. Kursk is the capital of the same-named western region, which borders Ukraine.

According to Starovoit, the drone crashed into the roof of the railway station building, with a fire subsequently breaking out on the roof.

Russian air defense jammed a drone flying towards Moscow early Sunday causing it to crash. Russia’s Defense Ministry called it “an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack.”

Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports briefly suspended flights, but no victims or damage were reported.

Ukrainian authorities, which generally avoid commenting on attacks on Russian soil, didn’t say whether it launched the attacks. Drone strikes on the Russian border regions are a fairly regular occurrence.

Drone attacks deeper inside Russian territory have been on the rise since a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Successful strikes have exposed the vulnerabilities of Moscow’s air defence systems.