Russian missile strike on Pryluky kills 20, including five children, as death toll rises

The death toll from a Russian missile strike on Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, has risen to 20, including five children, with 55 injured, as rescuers clear the rubble of a five-storey apartment building hit in the early hours of 7 October (Ukrainska Pravda).

Police said the toll climbed through the day — four killed in the morning, nine by 11:30, 16 by 15:00 — before rescuers recovered the body of a fifth child and Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi confirmed 20 dead (Ukrainska Pravda; Interfax-Ukraine). Fifteen people, including one child, were rescued; some residents remain unaccounted for (Ukrainska Pravda).

Strikes at around 06:00 local time destroyed two entrances of the block and damaged a children and youth creativity centre, an industrial enterprise, cars, 15 apartment blocks and 16 houses. The Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office has opened a war-crime investigation under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (Interfax-Ukraine).

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack a birthday “gift” to Russian President Vladimir Putin and named four of the dead children: Oleksandr, Kyrylo, one-year-old Serhii and eight-year-old Maksym (Ukrainska Pravda).

Zelenskyy said Russia fired 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles, plus Shahed drones, and pleaded for Patriot air-defence missiles (Ukrainska Pravda). He reported 11 killed and more than 30 injured nationwide, later updating the figure to 25 killed and 100 wounded; Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed a “massive strike” on military-industrial targets including facilities linked to defence firm Fire Point (Interfax-Ukraine; the Pakistan Times).

Sources

• Ukrainska Pravda — “Russian missile strike on Pryluky: 20 killed, including five children, and 55 injured”
• Ukrainska Pravda — “Pryluky strike death toll rises to 16, including 4 children”
• Ukrainska Pravda — “Russian overnight attack kills 11 and injures over 30 in Ukraine – Zelenskyy”
• Interfax-Ukraine — “Death toll from Russian strike on Pryluky apartment building rises to 9, including 3 children – National Police”
• Interfax-Ukraine — “Death toll from Russian strike on Pryluky apartment block rises to 5 – prosecutor’s office”
• The New Voice of Ukraine — “Four dead, at least 20 wounded after Russian missile hits apartment building in Pryluky”
• The Pakistan Times — “Russian Missile and Drone Attacks Kill at Least Eight in Ukraine”