Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of marking Vladimir Putin’s birthday with a deadly attack on an apartment building in Pryluky. By Thursday morning, Ukrainian emergency officials said 22 people had died in the strike, including five children, as rescuers continued searching the rubble.
Death toll rises in Pryluky
A Russian missile struck the five-storey residential building in Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region during attacks overnight into Wednesday, 7 October, when Putin turned 74.
Initial reports identified nine victims, including three children. The toll increased as emergency crews recovered more bodies from the collapsed structure.
The attack formed part of a wider Russian missile and drone assault that killed at least 32 people across Ukraine, according to updated Ukrainian figures. Around 100 people were reported injured nationwide.
Zelenskyy condemns the timing
Ukraine’s president described the destruction in Pryluky as a birthday “gift” to Putin and accused Russian forces of seeking to inflict suffering on civilians.
His comments linked the attack’s timing to the Russian president’s birthday. That alleged motive has not been independently established.
Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had targeted military-industrial facilities, including sites involved in missile and drone production, as well as port infrastructure. Its account did not acknowledge the reported civilian deaths.
Families wait beside destroyed homes
Residents gathered near the damaged building as rescue teams cleared concrete and searched for survivors. Reporting from the scene described families waiting in blankets while neighbours covered broken windows and recovered belongings.
Some residents had already fled fighting elsewhere in Ukraine before settling in Pryluky. Others described losing several generations of the same family.
The destruction extended beyond the building directly struck, with nearby homes suffering shattered windows and damaged doors.
Renewed appeal for air defence
Zelenskyy renewed his appeal for additional air-defence support, particularly US-made Patriot interceptors capable of countering ballistic missiles.
He said energy infrastructure had been a major target of the wider assault. Residents in Kyiv sheltered in underground stations as explosions sounded across the capital.
The Ukrainian president also called for stronger international pressure on Moscow, arguing that continuing attacks demonstrated the need for further military assistance and sustained sanctions.
Newshub Editorial in Europe – 8 October 2026
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of marking Vladimir Putin’s birthday with a deadly attack on an apartment building in Pryluky. By Thursday morning, Ukrainian emergency officials said 22 people had died in the strike, including five children, as rescuers continued searching the rubble.
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