Ukraine-Russia war latest: Children killed while they slept among 25 dead in ‘vile birthday present’ for Putin

At least 25 killed across Ukraine in ‘vile strikes’ on Putin’s birthdayRussia pounded Ukraine with waves of missiles and drones in one of its most "vile strikes" on Wednesday, president Volodymyr Zelensky said, killing at least 25 people, including five children, injuring another 100 and damaging industrial facilities and energy infrastructure.The heaviest death toll was in Pryluky in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, where a Russian missile obliterated a five-storey residential building.Noting that the attacks coincided with Russian president Vladimir Putin's birthday, he said: "This is the kind of birthday present that Putin gave himself: the killing of children, the killing of people.”Meanwhile, the Kremlin has ignited fresh tensions with France after claiming that a test launch of a nuclear-capable missile was part of a “dead end” strategy to confront Russia.French president Emmanuel Macron hailed the test of the submarine-launched ballistic ⁠missile off the ​coast of Brittany ⁠as a message "sent loud and clear for wherever it must be received", ⁠without mentioning Russia directly.Pushing back, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: "They are building their identity in the field of defence and security on the basis of confrontation with the Russian Federation. ‌This is a dead end path. ​As history shows, it leads to ‌nothing good." At least 25 killed in Ukraine as Zelensky condemns one of Russia's most 'vile strikes'Russia pounded Ukraine with waves of missiles and drones in one of its most "vile strikes" on Wednesday, president Volodymyr Zelensky said, killing at least 25 people, including children, and damaging industrial facilities and energy infrastructure.The heaviest death toll was in Pryluky in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, where a Russian missile obliterated a five-storey residential building. Zelensky said 19 people died in the attack, including five children. Zelensky said 25 people had been killed in the strikes throughout the country, with 100 injured. Interior minister Ivan Vyhivskyi put the death toll at 28.Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building which was hit by a Russian missile strike (Reuters)The president noted that the attacks coincided with Russian president Vladimir Putin's birthday. "This is the kind of birthday present that Putin gave himself: the killing of children, the killing of people," Zelensky said in his nightly video address Namita Singh8 October 2026 06:00Russia says forces struck ship carrying cargo for Ukrainian militaryRussia's defence ministry said on Wednesday that its forces had struck a vessel it said was heading to the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa with a cargo for the Ukrainian military. The statement on ⁠Telegram gave no further details of the strike.The ministry also said Russian drones had hit infrastructure in Ukrainian ports, without elaborating. Crew members from a vessel struck by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone arrive at the port of Varna after being rescued on 6 October 2026 (AFP/Getty)Namita Singh8 October 2026 05:00South Korea says to take action if illegal Russian fuel shipments confirmedSouth Korea's foreign ministry said on Thursday the government would take a legal action over any illegal fuel shipments to Russia if they were confirmed, following a media report analysing port records and ship-tracking data. The ‌ministry said it had not confirmed ‌whether South Korean fuel, including diesel, had been exported ⁠to Russia.It added that exports of some products such as diesel and jet fuel for commercial purposes, referred to in the Guardian report, were not included in a South Korean exports control list to Russia. Namita Singh8 October 2026 04:13Search abandoned for missing crew of ship that sank in drone attackBulgaria has halted its search for the missing crew of a ship that sank after being hit by a drone about 70 nautical miles off its coast, officials say.Early on Tuesday, two ships were ⁠hit in a drone attack in the Black Sea exclusive economic zone of Bulgaria, a Nato member. One ship sank and the other was damaged. The crew of the damaged ship were rescued, but the crew of the sunken one remain missing.Vice-Admiral Rumen Nikolov of the Maritime Administration Executive Agency said 12 crew members were believed to have been on board the ship that sank, all of them from Syria. The rescue operation will not resume, he added. "There are no traces of ​the ⁠sailors from the first ship, and there will be none. There is also no information about drone remains," he told reporters.It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack involving air and sea drones ​in ⁠waters off the coastal town of Byala in ‌eastern Bulgaria, but there are growing concerns about hybrid attacks by Russia as it wages war in Ukraine."If we look at the nature of the cargo and the direction in which the ships were moving, then logically speaking, the result argues in favour of Russia," Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.Jane Dalton8 October 2026 03:00Turkish leader 'offers to help Moscow-Kyiv talks' in Putin call Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called Russia’s Vladimir Putin, telling him Turkey is ready to contribute to efforts to begin direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, and stressing the importance of safety of navigation in the Black Sea, according to Erdogan's office.The two presidents discussed bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues, Turkey's government said.Erdogan also congratulated Putin on his birthday and his party's success in the latest Russian parliamentary elections, the office said.Jane Dalton8 October 2026 02:00Trump promises to speak to Putin about suspected plague death amid reports of second caseJane Dalton8 October 2026 01:00Watch: Massive Russian attack on UkraineRussia launches massive attack on Ukraine, killing at least 20Jane Dalton7 October 2026 23:30Ukraine air force says it's downing more drones than everRussia's defence ministry said its forces had carried out a massive strike on military-industrial facilities in Kyiv and other Ukrainian ‌regions, using high-precision land-, sea- and air-launched weapons, as well as drones.Ukraine's air force said it had downed just over 80% of the 46 jet-powered drones launched by Russia - a sharp increase from recent weeks when, on average, air defences took down 50% to 60%. Since the summer, Russia has used increasing numbers of the new high-velocity drones in round-the-clock attacks on Kyiv and other cities, with Ukraine's air defences struggling to cope with their speed.The air force did not explain the jump in the interception rate. Zelensky said the Russian ballistic missiles remained the major challenge for Ukraine, adding that he and his team were "every day looking for Patriot (missile interception) systems that can and must protect people's lives". Jane Dalton7 October 2026 22:00In pictures: Devastation in Pryluky A volunteer carries a cat found at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike in the town of Pryluky (Reuters)Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building which was hit by a Russian missile strike (Reuters)(AP)Jane Dalton7 October 2026 20:45Death toll of 'one of most vile' strikes reaches 25 including five childrenRussia has pounded Ukraine with waves of missiles and drones in one of its most "vile strikes", killing at least 25 people, including five children, president Volodymyr Zelensky said.Industrial facilities and energy infrastructure were damaged and around 100 people were wounded, Ukrainian officials said.The five children were killed when a Russian missile struck an apartment building, Mr Zelensky said. Three were a year old and another was 8. The heaviest death toll was in Pryluky in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, where a Russian missile obliterated a five-storey residential building. ⁠At least 18 people were killed there, local officials said.Mr Zelensky said: "Today, as a birthday 'gift' to Putin, the Russian army destroyed a residential building in Pryluky." He said six more people were also killed in Kyiv, Oleksandria and Kremenchuk.Russia fired 70 missiles at Ukraine - many of them high-velocity ballistic munitions - and dozens of Shahed attack drones, he said. "The Russians wanted to strike painfully and demonstratively. This was one of the most vile strikes."In Pryluky, an excavator and dozens of rescuers with shovels sifted through rubble at the site where several sections of the apartment block had collapsed. Emergency workers used ladders to get to the upper floors of what remained of the building, and brought out 15 people alive. Around 55 people were wounded in the town, officials said. Emergency employees and volunteers carry a resident found under debris in the town of Pryluky (Reuters)Jane Dalton7 October 2026 19:43