At least 15 civilians died in the overnight missile barrage across central and eastern Ukraine, a strike that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described as one of Russia’s “most vile” attacks.
The bombing destroyed a residential block in Pryluky, Chernihiv region, which Zelenskiy jaded as a grim “birthday gift” to Putin, who turns 74 next Wednesday. Strikes also hit the capitals of Kyiv and Dnipro, as well as the regional centres of Kremenchuk, Zaporizhzhia and Oleksandriya.
He confirmed that 70 missiles were launched against Ukrainian targets this night, and that the attack focused on the country’s energy infrastructure.
In a dramatic counter‑offensive, Ukraine says it struck four Russian sites in the Perm, Samara and Astrakhan regions, including oil facilities and a military training ground, and that a response took place in the Black Sea.
Emergency crews continue to search for survivors buried beneath the rubble in Pryluky, where three children’s bodies were recovered, raising the death toll to nine. In Dnipro and Kremenchuk, five apartment buildings collapsed, killing two people and injuring eight.
Ukraine’s National Police posted images of an unexploded Russian Iskander missile in Kyiv’s downtown area, confirmed by BBC Verify as authentic. Video footage shows residents clearing rubble from collapsed buildings.
Zelenskiy called on allies to step up air‑defence support, claiming that Ukraine could only shoot down “some” of the missiles fired, and underscored the urgent need for international assistance as the war drags on.
