Update: 9 people killed, 21 injured in Russian missile strike on Sloviansk

The death toll in the April 14 Russian missile strike on Sloviansk has risen to nine, the State Emergency Service reported on April 15. Twenty-one people have also been reported injured.

According to the State Emergency Service, five people might still be under the rubble. Rescue operations are ongoing, and the casualty numbers may continue to rise.

Rescue workers are searching through 65 tons of building material destroyed by the missile strike, the State Emergency Service wrote.

Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko initially reported that one person had been killed and five injured after several strikes launched by Russian forces against Sloviansk.

On April 14, the Prosecutor General's Office reported that a two-year-old child rescued from under the rubble died in transport to the hospital.

The strikes targeted residential areas of Sloviansk, causing damage to high-rise apartment buildings, private homes, businesses, and cars.

According to preliminary data, Russian forces launched S-300 missiles at Sloviansk at 4 p.m. local time on April 14. The repurposed air defense missiles are known for their inaccuracy and have become Russia's weapon of choice for attacks on cities at short range.

Responding to the attack, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, "For every act of terrorism, there will be fair accountability. We will not leave any trace of Russia on our land. And we will not leave any enemy unpunished."

How repurposed Russian air defense missiles expose holes in Ukraine’s sky

Russia’s missile strike on Jan. 14 caught Kyiv residents off-guard. After nearly a year of Moscow’s repeated attacks, something unusual happened: The explosions sounded before the air raid alert went off, which is rarely the case in what is believed to be the most protected city in Ukraine.

Kyiv IndependentStanislav Storozhenko