‘War Is His Nature’: Zelensky Says Putin’s Birthday ‘Gift’ Killed 28 Ukrainians

What happened in the Oct. 7 attacks, and which Ukrainian cities were struck?

On Oct. 7, Russia launched a broad overnight barrage against Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian officials said the attacks killed 28 people nationwide. The strikes mattered because they hit residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure, not only military targets. Zelensky said Russia used ballistic and cruise missiles, Shahed drones, and later aerial bombs.

Pryluky in northern Ukraine suffered the heaviest loss. A Russian Kh-101 cruise missile struck a five-story apartment building there. A large section collapsed, and rescuers searched the rubble. Kyiv was hit in several waves, beginning shortly after 3 a.m. Kremenchuk also suffered damage to apartments, private homes, and other buildings.

The article identifies Pryluky, Kyiv, Kremenchuk, and Oleksandriia among the affected cities. Twenty people died in Pryluky, including five children. Two died in Kyiv, while two others died in Kremenchuk. The attacks showed that civilian areas remained exposed despite efforts to end the war.

How many people were killed, injured, rescued, or evacuated, and which city suffered the heaviest loss of life?

The nationwide toll from the Oct. 7 attacks reached 28 deaths, according to Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi. Pryluky accounted for 20 of those deaths, making it the hardest-hit city. Five children were among the dead, including three who were one year old. The figures show how severely the strikes affected civilians.

Kremenchuk reported two deaths and seven injuries. Kyiv reported two deaths and several injuries, although the article does not give a precise total for Kyiv’s injured. Emergency workers and police rescued or evacuated 29 people from damaged buildings and dangerous areas. Most of those rescues occurred in Pryluky, where crews searched a collapsed apartment block.

The human toll includes both confirmed casualties and continuing rescue work. Emergency teams cleared rubble throughout the day while looking for survivors. The final numbers could depend on recovery operations, but the reported figures already show extensive civilian harm across several cities.

What are ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, Shahed drones, and aerial bombs, and how do they differ?

These weapons differ mainly in how they fly, how they are guided, and how they reach a target. Ballistic missiles receive powerful initial thrust, then follow a high, arcing trajectory at very high speed. Cruise missiles use engines throughout much of their flight and navigate through the atmosphere toward a selected target. Both can carry large warheads.

Shahed drones are relatively low-cost, unmanned aircraft commonly used as one-way attack weapons. They can fly toward a programmed target and explode. Aerial bombs are released from aircraft and fall toward the ground. Some rely on gravity, while guided bombs use control systems to steer more accurately. The article says Russia used all these categories during the attacks.

Their combination complicates defense. Different speeds, routes, altitudes, and flight patterns can force air defenses to respond in several ways at once. The article does not give technical details about each weapon’s interception, but the mixed barrage clearly involved multiple types of threats.

What happens to civilians and emergency responders when a missile collapses part of an apartment building?

When a missile collapses part of an apartment building, civilians can be killed, injured, trapped, or cut off from exits. Falling concrete, fires, broken utilities, and unstable floors can create additional dangers. People nearby may also need evacuation. The damage destroys homes and interrupts basic services, making the attack a long emergency rather than a single moment of impact.

In Pryluky, a Kh-101 missile collapsed a large section of a five-story residential building. Images showed rescuers searching the rubble for survivors. Police and emergency workers rescued or evacuated 29 people from damaged buildings and dangerous areas nationwide, most in Pryluky. Crews continued clearing the destroyed structure throughout the day.

Responders must balance speed with safety. They search voids, remove debris, treat the injured, and prevent further collapses. The article records the immediate rescue effort, while the wider consequences include deaths, displacement, and the loss of housing. Each collapsed building therefore creates both a humanitarian crisis and a difficult technical operation.

What does “escalation” mean in the Russia-Ukraine war, and why does Zelensky describe this barrage as evidence of escalation?

Escalation means a conflict is becoming more intense, destructive, or widespread. It can involve larger attacks, more weapons, more targets, or continued violence despite diplomatic efforts. Zelensky used the term because he said Moscow was choosing more killings and shelling rather than moving toward peace. The concern is not only one attack, but the direction of the war.

The Oct. 7 barrage combined ballistic and cruise missiles with Shahed drones. It struck Kyiv in several waves and damaged residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in Pryluky, Kremenchuk, and other locations. Russia also continued using drones and aerial bombs during the day. Twenty people died in Pryluky alone, including five children.

This pattern suggests sustained pressure on Ukrainian cities, according to Zelensky’s interpretation. He argued that international efforts had not persuaded Moscow to stop. If attacks continue or expand, civilian casualties and destruction may rise. The article therefore presents escalation as both an immediate human cost and a warning about the war’s future course.

How can Russia continue buying, selling, and using oil while facing international sanctions, and how does that affect its ability to wage war?

International sanctions work by limiting access to money, technology, markets, and services. They may target banks, companies, shipping, equipment, or individuals. But sanctions are not a worldwide blockade. Countries that did not impose them can continue trading, while buyers, intermediaries, and alternative payment systems may help keep transactions moving. Some restrictions also allow limited energy trade to avoid major global supply shocks.

Russia can therefore keep selling oil through permitted markets or indirect channels, sometimes using intermediaries, altered shipping arrangements, or discounted prices. Buyers provide revenue, and that revenue can support government spending, weapons production, and military operations. The article says Russia still has the ability to sell oil and conduct international transactions.

Zelensky argued that this means pressure on Moscow is not yet creating real problems for Putin. Sanctions can raise costs and reduce capabilities over time, but their effect depends on enforcement, cooperation, and available alternatives. Continued oil income may help Russia sustain attacks, including the Oct. 7 barrage.

How do ceasefires, sanctions, and military assistance work as tools for influencing a war, and why do they not automatically stop attacks?

A ceasefire is an agreement or arrangement to stop fighting for a period. It can protect civilians, enable aid, and create space for negotiations. Sanctions impose economic or political costs on an aggressor by restricting money, trade, technology, or movement. Military assistance supplies weapons, training, intelligence, or other support so a country can defend itself and discourage further attacks.

Each tool works through a different mechanism. A ceasefire depends on both sides following the terms. Sanctions matter only when enough countries enforce them and limit ways around them. Military assistance can improve air defenses and battlefield resilience, but it does not automatically change an attacker’s decision. The article says Russia continued attacking despite international efforts to bring peace closer.

These tools are often used together. Diplomacy seeks a pause, sanctions increase pressure, and assistance helps Ukraine withstand attacks. Their results depend on timing, unity, enforcement, and political choices. The Oct. 7 strikes show that international pressure can coexist with continued violence, so none of these tools alone guarantees an immediate end to war.

Key Facts:

📌 Russian attacks killed 28 people across Ukraine on Oct. 7.

📌 Pryluky, Kyiv, Kremenchuk, and Oleksandriia were struck.

📌 A Kh-101 missile collapsed part of Pryluky’s apartment building.

📌 Twenty people died in Pryluky, including five children.

📌 The nationwide death toll reached 28 people.

📌 Authorities rescued or evacuated 29 people from danger.

📌 Ballistic missiles follow high-speed arcs after powered launch.