Pryluky Apartment Strike Kills 13, Including Four Children

At about six in the morning, people in Pryluky were still asleep when a Russian missile hit their five-storey apartment building. One section collapsed, burying residents under concrete and twisted metal. By October 7, regional Governor Vyacheslav Chaus said 13 people had died, including four children, and 50 were injured. Rescuers and neighbors searched the wreckage for survivors. ^1,2

The 13 deaths came during a much wider overnight attack. Russia sent missiles and drones toward Kyiv and at least 12 other Ukrainian regions, damaging homes, businesses and key services. In Pryluky, strikes also hit a children’s creativity centre and a business; a damaged gas line temporarily cut service to more than 18,000 residents. Ukraine’s Air Force said it brought down or disrupted 161 incoming weapons, while strikes still hit 18 locations. ^1,14,34

Those 18 hit locations show why advance warning did not mean Ukraine could stop the attack. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had warned the night before that Russia was preparing a large strike, but Ukrainian officials said ballistic missiles remained especially hard to intercept. Zelenskyy called for more US-made Patriot missiles. Russia said it had targeted sites that make military goods, while Ukrainian officials described deaths and damage in residential areas. The attack also came on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 74th birthday, prompting Zelenskyy to call the Pryluky destruction a “gift” to him. ^5,8,16,22

The 18,000 people briefly without gas faced an immediate disruption beyond the damaged homes: a break in a pipeline serving the city. The wider attacks also renewed concern about energy systems ahead of winter, after Zelenskyy said they were a key target. In Pryluky, the next urgent task was still at the rubble: emergency workers had to search for anyone trapped and support the injured. ^1,6,27