Andrea Innocenti On October 7, a rescue team continued clearing rubble in Pryluky, a city in northern Ukraine, which had recently been hit by a heavy airstrike. The attack was carried out by a Kh-101 missile, a long-range precision weapon used by Russian forces, which directly hit a residential building.
The preliminary toll, released by President Volodymyr Zelensky on social media, indicates 19 deaths immediately after the impact, five of them young children . In the following hours, six more bodies were recovered, bringing the total to 25 victims . Meanwhile, one hundred injured people received medical treatment in local hospitals.
Details on the death toll in Pryluky
Among the dead, four children have been identified: two infants aged just 12 months, another one aged one year, and an eight-year-old boy. A fifth child victim, also under the age of five, was extracted from the rubble that evening, according to Interior Ministry authorities. Search and rescue operations continue, as several families await news of missing persons.
The growing number of injured
In addition to the hundreds of injured already being treated, authorities report that at least seven of them are children . Local health facilities are managing the increased pressure, coordinating the arrival of doctors from other regions and organizing transfers to better-equipped hospitals.
Zelensky denounces Russian escalation and calls for action from leaders
In his evening address, Zelensky said that "it is crucial that leaders do not remain silent in the face of what has happened ." He stressed that Russia appears intent on pursuing a strategy of escalation, aiming to cause further civilian deaths and increase psychological pressure on the Ukrainian population.
The president also criticized the perceived weakening of international sanctions, noting that Russia is still able to sell oil and maintain a profitability that makes war "convenient" for Moscow. This scenario, according to Zelensky, is not just a Ukrainian issue, but concerns the entire European and Western world.
The call for continued international attention comes within the broader context of Russian attacks on other Ukrainian cities, such as Kiev, where recent actions have resulted in another death and thirteen injuries. The global community is therefore called upon to urgently evaluate diplomatic and military responses to prevent further escalation of violence.