A Russian missile strike on the five‑storey apartment block in Pryluky killed 19 people, including five children, as families slept inside. The blast destroyed 30 flats and turned the building’s floor into a heap of debris.
Prime Minister Sergei Korsun announced that the victims included one‑year‑olds Oleksandr, Kyrylo and Serhii, and an eight‑year‑old boy called Maxsym. A boy named Sasha died with his mother Kateryna and his grandmother Viktoriia; Sasha’s older sister Olha was the sole survivor. Rescue crews from local units combed the rubble for hours, recovering a fifth child’s body later that day and treating dozens of injured residents.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the hit one of Russia’s "most vile strikes" and suggested the attack was a "birthday gift" to Putin on his 74th birthday. Moscow denied any civilian targeting, saying it had struck military targets in Kyiv and beyond.
The day’s civilian toll rose to 25 after additional strikes killed two people in Kyiv, two in Kremenchuk and two in Oleksandriya. In Kremenchuk, over 430 homes and apartments were damaged and many people were injured.
Rescue teams in Pryluky spent the night in underground stations, hoping to shield themselves from continued air attacks. Municipal officials said five cruise missiles hit the area, one striking the apartment block directly.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported shooting down five ballistic and 39 cruise missiles, as well as more than 100 drones, during a broader escalation that has pounded the eastern front and the Black Sea coast. Zelensky urged allies for more air‑defence support, citing the need to counter the persistent missile threat.
