President Volodymyr Zelensky stated via social media that a missile strike damaged a residential building in Slovyansk. He noted that the post appeared on a platform owned by Meta, a company that has faced censorship in Russia. The claim underscores the ongoing challenges Ukraine faces in urban areas where civilian housing sits close to contested zones.
According to Zelensky, the blast hit a five-story apartment block, resulting in the deaths of five residents. The incident is described as part of a broader pattern of shelling that has hit multiple neighborhoods and raised concerns about civilian safety in Slovyansk and surrounding districts.
The information was corroborated by Pavel Kirilenko, head of the Donetsk Regional Civil Administration, who shared details on Telegram. He reported damage across several city blocks, including five high-rise buildings, a storefront, five private homes, an economic center, a club, and three vehicles as a consequence of the missile attack. The scope of destruction suggests a strike with substantial impact on everyday life and local infrastructure.
Kirilenko added that seven individuals, among them a child, might be trapped under rubble as rescue efforts continued. Slavyansk mayor Vadim Lyakh confirmed that emergency teams were responding and that several people had been pulled from the debris in the hours after the strike, highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian relief and safe passage for residents seeking shelter.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has repeatedly asserted that Russian forces do not target civilian facilities in Ukraine, a position repeatedly contested by Kyiv and international observers who document ongoing harm to civilians in contested regions. The exchange of competing narratives underscores the volatility of information in war zones and the challenge of independently verifying casualty figures amid ongoing hostilities.
Earlier in the day, air raid warnings were issued for the Nikolaev region and for areas of the Kherson region under Ukrainian control. At 10:33 Moscow time, air sirens sounded nearly simultaneously, signaling a coordinated warning for residents and authorities to take shelter and prepare for possible further attacks. The timing suggests a period of heightened tension as both sides conduct military operations in adjacent fronts, affecting civilian life and evacuation plans across several regions in southern and eastern Ukraine.