Five Injured as Russian Drone Hits Apartment Block in Central Ukraine
A Russian drone strike on Smila in Cherkasy injured five, damaged an apartment block, and came amid rising civilian tolls.
At least five people were injured when a Russian drone struck an apartment building in Smila, a city in Ukraine's central Cherkasy region, overnight into Friday. The attack ignited a fire in the nine-story residential structure and caused significant damage to the property.
Emergency crews and firefighters were dispatched to the scene, working to extinguish the blaze and evacuate residents from the building. Footage from the site showed damaged balconies, a scorched vehicle, and debris-strewn interiors as personnel cleared the area.
The assault follows a United Nations report that July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since the early weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion over four years ago. The UN monitoring mission in Kyiv recorded at least 437 civilian deaths and 2,610 wounded last month, citing intensified Russian bombing of towns and cities.
Since the invasion began on February 24, 2022, UN human rights monitors have documented at least 16,874 civilian deaths, including 820 children, and 51,273 wounded, among them 3,126 children.