Only daughter survives - Massive Russian missile strike on Pryluky shatters rescuer's family

Key points:

• What is known about the most massive attack on Pryluky?
• How many Shahed drones did Russia launch at the city?
• What is known about the casualties and the injured?
• How are local authorities and the President responding?

An air raid alert was declared in the Chernihiv region late last night at 10:41 PM local time due to the threat of attack drones. By 12:20 AM, an elevated threat level was declared in the Pryluky community. Soon after, the city was shaken by powerful explosions. Russian drones struck civilian targets continuously for over 20 minutes.

No official data on the aftermath was released until morning. However, by that time, the head of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration, Vyacheslav Chaus, stated that at least six Geran-type attack drones had targeted Pryluky.

According to the Civil Protection and Defense Department of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration, the first explosion caused a fire in two residential homes. They were destroyed, along with two garages, a utility building, and a vehicle. Three people died in one of the houses, including a child.

Following four more explosions, a two-story building caught fire. The blast wave shattered windows and damaged glazing in two apartment buildings, injuring one person. Emergency services have been working non-stop to eliminate the consequences of the enemy attack.

Casualties and injured

According to the latest data, five people died in Pryluky as a result of the attack. Among the victims were a 46-year-old woman, her daughter born in 1998, and her 1-year-4-month-old grandson. The women and the child were found under the rubble.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported that three of the victims were family members of the local fire station chief. A drone struck their home.

"His family was killed. His wife. His daughter, who was a patrol police officer. And her one-year-old son. That night, the rescuer was working with the fire and rescue team to eliminate the aftermath of the attack," Klymenko wrote.

The National Police also reported the death of the officer.

"During the night attack, we lost our colleague, police officer Daryna Shyhyda. Her little son, just one year old, and her mother were also killed. Daryna joined the Kyiv police in 2020. Strong, kind, and sincere. She remained true to her oath, fair, with a deep sense of duty - that's how colleagues and everyone who knew her will remember her. Her father, a firefighter, taught her from childhood to help others. Her husband, also a patrol officer, always supported her. This is not just a loss - it’s the uprooting of three generations of life," the statement said.

Photo: Daryna Shyhyda, died during the night attack on Pryluky (t.me/UA_National_Police)

Photos of Daryna’s mother, also killed, have been posted online.

Photo: Daryna Shyhyda from Pryluky killed in the massive Russian attack on June 5 (photo screenshot)

According to RBC-Ukraine's correspondent, the local fire station chief now has only one surviving daughter - Kateryna - who is a student of a local college.

"The team of the Pryluky Technical College expresses its sincere condolences to second-year student Kateryna Lebid, majoring in Geodesy and Land Management, on the irreparable loss of her mother, sister, and nephew due to Russia's brutal shelling. In this difficult hour, we share your pain and bow our heads in mourning," the college said in a statement.

Among the survivors are those who narrowly escaped death. RBC-Ukraine launched a fundraiser to help Yulia, a Pryluky resident whose house was destroyed by a drone strike. She and her mother jumped out of a window to escape as the house was burning and collapsing. Their home is now gone.

You can help the survivor via the donation link or bank card number: 4441 1111 2020 0740 (Opened by an RBC-Ukraine member who lives near the victims. Aid delivery is guaranteed).

Day of mourning declared in Pryluky

According to Volodymyr Chernov, head of the Pryluky District Military Administration, today and tomorrow have been declared days of mourning in the city due to one of the most devastating attacks.

"This was one of the most extensive attacks recently and involved the largest number of casualties. Therefore, today and tomorrow have been declared mourning days in Pryluky," Chernov said.

According to him, five civilians were killed in the city, including a small child. Currently, there are seven reported injuries. Two private houses were destroyed; apartment buildings were also damaged.

Casualty figures vary slightly. As per the latest update from the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration, there are nine injured and five fatalities.

Zelenskyy responds

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reacting to the insidious enemy attack, said that during the strike, the fire station chief came home to deal with attack consequences and found his own house had been hit.

"Last night, Russia attacked Pryluky in the Chernihiv region with six kamikaze drones. The rescue operation lasted all night. Unfortunately, there are wounded and dead. One rescuer came to deal with the aftermath only to find it was his own home that had been hit. His wife, daughter, and one-year-old grandson were killed. That child became the 632nd child victim of the full-scale war. My condolences to all relatives and family," the President wrote.

Russian propaganda justifies civilian strike

Russian propaganda Telegram channels claimed that last night's strikes in Pryluky and Kharkiv targeted Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel and facilities.

However, Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security emphasizes that, in reality, the drones struck residential buildings in Pryluky.

Night attack across Ukraine

During the night, Russian forces launched 103 attack drones and one ballistic missile across Ukraine. Targets included not only the Chernihiv region but also Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Dnipro, and Kherson.

In particular, Russian terrorist attacks in Kharkiv's Kyivskyi and Slobidskyi districts damaged apartment buildings and a gas station.

In the Kharkiv attack alone, 19 people were injured, including a 7-year-old boy, a 9-year-old girl, and two 13-year-old girls.

Russian forces also dropped an aerial bomb on the regional military administration building in Kherson.

More on the regional consequences can be found in a separate RBC-Ukraine report.

Sources: State Emergency Service, National Police, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Head of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration Vyacheslav Chaus, Head of the Pryluky District Military Administration Volodymyr Chernov, and other open sources.