In brief
President Zelensky denounced a series of Russian missile strikes that have claimed 15 lives, targeting cities from Kiev to Chernihiv. The deadliest hit on a Pryluky residential building was dubbed a “birthday gift” to Putin. Ukraine reports retaliatory strikes on Russian regions and a Black Sea incident, while air‑defence support is being sought. Russian silence continues as Ukrainian forces highlight the need to protect energy infrastructure.
At least 15 people have died after a wave of Russian missile attacks across central and eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky described the assault as the "most vile" endured by the country.
The most devastating strike hit a residential building in Pryluky, Chernihiv, which the president dubbed a "birthday gift" to Putin, who will turn 74 on Wednesday. The strike left five dead and 26 injured, including five children, and the police warned that survivors could still be trapped beneath the rubble.
Moscow's strikes also reached Kyiv, Dnipro, Kremenchuk, Zaporizhzhia and Oleksandriya. Two people were killed and eight injured in Dnipro and Kremenchuk, and another two were killed in Kyiv. Ukraine also struck targets in Russia's Perm, Samara and Astrakhan regions, as well as a Black Sea location, while the UK’s air defence shared need for more support.
In total, 70 missiles were launched, with only some destroyed by Ukraine’s air defences. One of the key targets was the energy infrastructure, which the president warned would be the focus of future strikes following Ukrainian energy attacks.
While Russia has not commented on the recent attacks, Ukrainian police documented an unexploded Iskander missile fragment in Kyiv. Additionally, a Black Sea incident saw an oil tanker caught in a plume of smoke, prompting rescue operations.
