Ukraine reports at least 28 killed in attacks as rescuers search Pryluky rubble

Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian strikes killed 18 people, including at least four children, at a residential building in Pryluky, northern Ukraine, overnight into Wednesday, 7 October. Rescuers were still searching the rubble as reports put the death toll from attacks across Ukraine at at least 24 or at least 28, depending on when and how the deaths were counted.

The five-storey building in Pryluky, in Chernihiv Oblast, was destroyed. The Kyiv Independent reported 55 people injured there, including seven children. BBC News, citing Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, reported 50 injured, also including seven children. Both accounts gave the same figure of 18 killed at the building; neither established a final toll.

Why the reported death tolls differ

BBC News reported at least 24 deaths in the attacks described in its Wednesday account. The Kyiv Independent reported at least 28 killed and 134 injured in Russian attacks across Ukraine over the preceding 24 hours, citing Ukrainian authorities. Its wider accounting includes incidents beyond the overnight barrage, so the two national figures should not be treated as competing final counts for an identical period.

The Pryluky injury figures also differed in the reports reviewed on Wednesday: 50 in the BBC account and 55 in The Kyiv Independent. Rescue work was continuing when the accounts were published, and neither report established the outcome of the searches. The numbers describe what was known at those reporting moments, rather than a completed assessment of deaths, injuries or damage.

Where else the 7 October attacks hit

In Kyiv, two people were killed when a munition struck a garage cooperative in the Darnytskyi district, according to Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, as reported by The Kyiv Independent. The BBC said Ukrainian police posted images of what they called an unexploded Russian Iskander missile in a Kyiv district. BBC Verify confirmed the images were genuine and said the apparent fragments had come down on open land surrounded by apartment buildings.

The Kyiv Independent also reported injuries after an attack on a medical facility in Kryvyi Rih and deaths or injuries in several other regions, citing regional authorities. Its 24-hour national total draws on those reports as well as the overnight strikes. That breadth matters when comparing it with an account focused on the barrage that hit Pryluky and other cities.

What Zelensky said about the missiles and response

Zelensky called the attacks among Russia’s most vile and described the destruction in Pryluky as a birthday ‘gift’ to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Those were the Ukrainian president’s characterizations, reported by the BBC. He said 70 missiles had been fired and that Ukraine had shot down only some of them, renewing his call for allies to provide air-defence support.

Ukraine’s Air Force gave a more detailed account of the weapons used, according to The Kyiv Independent. It said 39 of 48 cruise missiles and 117 of 130 attack drones had been shot down or suppressed as of 10 a.m. Kyiv time. It also reported five ballistic missiles shot down or suppressed, without specifying how many ballistic missiles had been launched. These military figures are Ukrainian claims; the reviewed reports do not independently verify every launch, interception or target.

Zelensky also said Ukraine had struck targets in Russia’s Perm, Samara and Astrakhan regions during the previous 24 hours and referred to a response in the Black Sea. The BBC reported that he gave few details about those actions. Its account said Moscow had yet to comment on the latest strikes on Ukraine.

What remains unknown in Pryluky

The immediate task in Pryluky remained the search of the collapsed residential building. The published accounts establish a heavy reported civilian toll, including children, but do not say whether rescuers found everyone believed to be inside. They also do not provide a complete damage assessment. Any later total would need to be dated and attributed to the authority reporting it.