Russian Missile Strike Kills 19 Including Five Children in Ukrainian Apartment Block

Nineteen people, including five children, have been killed after a Russian missile struck a five-storey apartment building in the northern Ukrainian town of Pryluky, as residents slept.

The attack was part of a wider wave of Russian missile and drone strikes across Ukraine on Wednesday.

Ukrainian officials said the residential building was hit in the early morning, destroying part of the block and trapping residents beneath the rubble. Around 50 people were injured in Pryluky as rescuers worked for hours to search the damaged building.

Three of the children killed were just one year old, while another was aged eight. The body of a fifth child was later recovered from the rubble as the rescue operation continued.

Families Were Sleeping When Missile Hit

The missile struck the apartment block in Pryluky, in the Chernihiv region, east of Kyiv.

Emergency workers spent much of the day searching through collapsed sections of the building, using heavy machinery alongside rescue teams working by hand.

Local officials said the strike caused extensive destruction in the town centre and damaged other residential buildings and a youth centre.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was one of the most "vile strikes" of the war.

He said three of the children killed were named Oleksandr, Kyrylo and Serhii, all aged one, while an eight-year-old boy named Maxsym was also among the dead.

The fifth child was identified by Ukrainian officials after their body was recovered later in the day.

Mother and Grandmother Among Those Killed

Ukrainian officials said one of the children died alongside his mother and grandmother.

The family was reportedly living on the fifth floor of the apartment block.

Local reports said the grandmother had been looking after her grandson while the child's mother was working.

Only the boy's older sister survived.

The deaths have added to the growing civilian toll from the latest Russian bombardment of Ukraine.

Russia Says It Targeted Military Facilities

Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces had carried out a "massive strike" using missiles and drones against military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and several other Ukrainian regions.

Moscow did not specifically acknowledge the strike on the Pryluky apartment block.

Russian officials said targets included facilities connected with Ukraine's defence industry and other military infrastructure.

Ukraine, however, said the strikes also hit residential areas and energy infrastructure.

Zelenskyy said Russia had launched around 70 missiles, alongside large numbers of attack drones, and argued that strengthening Ukraine's air-defence capabilities remained an urgent priority.

At Least 25 Killed Across Ukraine

The attack was not confined to Pryluky.

Ukrainian officials reported deaths in several other cities, including Kyiv, Kremenchuk and Oleksandriya.

Reuters reported that at least 25 people had been killed across Ukraine, with around 100 injured, although casualty figures were continuing to change as emergency services searched damaged areas.

More than 400 apartments and private homes were reportedly damaged in the wider strikes.

In Kyiv, residents spent the night sheltering underground as missiles and drones targeted the capital.

Ukraine's air force said it intercepted ballistic and cruise missiles as well as more than 100 drones.

The figures also highlighted the continuing difficulty of intercepting ballistic missiles, which Ukrainian officials say remain one of the country's greatest air-defence challenges.

Ukraine Reports Retaliatory Strikes

Ukraine also carried out attacks against targets inside Russia during the same period.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had struck several targets, including oil facilities and a military training site.

The latest exchanges underline how the war continues to extend beyond the immediate front lines, with both sides increasingly targeting infrastructure and facilities deep inside the other's territory.

Growing Danger in the Black Sea

The wider escalation has also affected shipping in the Black Sea.

A cargo ship sank after a reported drone attack off the Bulgarian coast, with 12 crew members reported missing.

Bulgaria subsequently halted its search operation.

A second vessel carrying grain was also damaged in the area, although all 18 crew members aboard that ship were rescued.

Bulgaria has not established who was responsible for the attacks. Ukrainian officials have blamed Russia, while Russia has denied targeting the missing vessel.

A War That Continues to Reach Civilians

The deaths in Pryluky once again demonstrate the human cost of the war in Ukraine.

Whatever the stated military objectives of the wider Russian operation, the missile strike on a residential building left families dead, children among the victims and residents searching for loved ones beneath collapsed concrete.

For the people living in Ukrainian cities, the threat is not confined to the battlefield.

It can arrive during the night, while families are asleep in their homes.

And as Ukraine continues to seek additional air-defence systems from its allies, the latest attacks show the continuing vulnerability of civilian areas to long-range missile and drone strikes.

Nineteen people are dead in Pryluky, including five children.

The rescue operation may have ended, but for the families who lost loved ones, the consequences of the attack will continue long after the rubble has been cleared.