A Russian missile strike on a residential building in Pryluky, northern Ukraine, killed at least 20 people—including five children—and prompted the United Nations to demand an immediate end to attacks on civilians.
The strike hit the Chernihiv-region city early Wednesday, October 7, as part of a wider Russian barrage across Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities initially reported 18 deaths, then said rescuers found another child’s body in the rubble before the interior minister raised the toll to 20. Fifty-five people were injured, including seven children, while emergency crews rescued 15 people from the damaged building.
Three of the children killed were reportedly one-year-old boys, and another was eight years old. The broader overnight assault killed at least 26 people nationwide, with casualties also reported in Kyiv, Kremenchuk and Oleksandriia. Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said civilians, children, homes and essential infrastructure are protected by international humanitarian law.
The UN called for stronger protection of civilians as rescue operations and efforts to assess the damage continued.