Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy condemns ‘vile’ attacks from Russia that killed 20 in one apartment

By the Editorial Team · Friday, October 9, 2026

Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine killed 28 people, with the deadliest attack hitting a residential building in Pryluky and causing significant casualties, including children. The attacks have escalated security concerns in the Black Sea region and prompted the European Union to impose over 1,600 new sanctions targeting Russia's military-industrial sector.

The death toll from Russia’s latest missile and drone strikes on Ukraine has reached 28, Ukrainian officials said Thursday, as rescue efforts continued in the hardest-hit areas. The attacks occurred on Wednesday, targeting multiple locations across the country.

The northern town of Pryluky, in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, suffered the most severe losses when a Russian missile struck a five-storey residential building, destroying several sections of the structure. Pryluky’s regional governor, Vyacheslav Chaus, reported that 20 people were killed in the attack, including five children. Rescue teams, employing excavators and manual search efforts, recovered 15 survivors and treated about 55 wounded residents. Emergency workers accessed the damaged upper floors by ladder and combed the rubble for anyone trapped inside.

In addition to the Pryluky strike, Kyiv prosecutors indicated that falling debris from a drone hit a suburb of the capital on Wednesday evening, killing two more people.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the Pryluky attack as one of Russia’s “most vile” strikes, saying it was intended to cause “pain” and make a demonstrative impact. “The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively,” Zelenskyy stated, emphasizing the brutality of the missile barrage.

Russia’s defense ministry claimed its forces targeted a vessel en route to the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa carrying military cargo. The ministry’s Telegram post provided no further details. It also indicated that Russian drones had attacked infrastructure in Ukrainian ports, without specifying locations or damage extent.

Meanwhile, concerns about security in the Black Sea region escalated following a recent drone attack on two ships within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova attributed the deteriorating safety for commercial vessels in the area to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. The attack, reported early Tuesday, resulted in the sinking of one vessel while the other was damaged. The crew of the damaged ship were rescued, but the crew of the sunken vessel remain missing. Bulgaria has since halted its search efforts for the missing sailors.

In response to Russia’s continued military operations, European Union envoys approved 1,646 new designations under the bloc’s sanctions regime targeting Russia, according to three EU diplomats. The majority of the new sanctions focus on entities and individuals linked to Russia’s military-industrial complex, particularly those involved in the production of ballistic missiles.

These developments reflect the intensifying conflict in Ukraine and the broader geopolitical ramifications affecting regional security and international policy.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.