Massive Russian Aerial Attack on Ukraine Kills 21 on Putin's Birthday
Russia launched a massive aerial assault across Ukraine, killing at least 21 people and injuring 60, coinciding with Vladimir Putin's 74th birthday.
Russia launched one of its heaviest aerial attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, firing dozens of missiles and approximately 130 drones at numerous regions across the country. At least 21 people were killed, including four children, and about 60 others were injured. The assault coincided with the 74th birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin, prompting Ukrainian officials to condemn the deadly destruction as a grim birthday "gift."
The heaviest blow struck the city of Pryluky in the Chernihiv region, located about 135 kilometers east of Kyiv. A Russian missile scored a direct hit on a five-story residential building, destroying large sections of it. According to updated figures released by Ukrainian authorities, 15 people were killed at the site, including four children, while some 50 others sustained injuries. Rescue teams and local residents spent hours sifting through the rubble in a desperate search for survivors.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky explicitly linked the timing of the offensive to Putin's birthday. "Today, as a 'birthday gift' for Putin, the Russian military destroyed a residential building in Pryluky," he stated, calling it one of the most despicable attacks of the conflict. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha echoed these sentiments, asserting that Russian generals handed Putin his favorite present—war crimes—and adding that the only fitting gift would be seeing him stand trial in The Hague.
The large-scale coordinated assault involved roughly 70 missiles, many of them ballistic, alongside 130 drones of various types, including 46 fast jet-propelled UAVs. Ukrainian air defense forces reported successfully intercepting or neutralizing 161 targets in total, including five ballistic or high-speed missiles, 39 cruise missiles, and 117 drones. However, impacts were registered in 18 locations nationwide, causing severe damage to energy infrastructure and prompting emergency power outages across five regions.
Moscow's Ministry of Defense confirmed the massive strike, claiming that its targets were facilities related to the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, including sites producing missiles and drones, as well as port infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ukraine continued its long-range retaliatory strikes inside Russia, targeting oil facilities and training compounds in the Perm, Samara, and Astrakhan regions, while also releasing footage of an oil tanker on fire in the Black Sea near Sochi.
