Russian airstrike hits two apartment buildings in Sloviansk, entire entrance destroyed
Russian forces struck Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast on 11 October at 09:45 with an airstrike that hit two multi-storey residential buildings. An entire entrance of a five-storey building was destroyed, and the number of wounded rose from an initial four to seven during the day, with people possibly still trapped under the rubble.
Key points
- Russian forces carried out an airstrike on Sloviansk, Donetsk Oblast, at 09:45 on 11 October.
- Two multi-storey residential buildings were hit; in a five-storey building, an entire entrance was completely destroyed.
- Initial reports said four people were wounded; later reporting put the toll at seven civilians — five women and two men with head injuries, concussions, lacerations and contusions.
- Sloviansk mayor Vadym Liakh reported three FAB-250 bombs with UMPK modules were dropped on a residential district.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said people may still be trapped under the rubble of the destroyed entrance.
- Damage scope differs between sources: Liakh reported two buildings partially destroyed and seven more plus a shop damaged; the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported nine multi-storey buildings and a shop partially destroyed or damaged.
- A pre-trial investigation was opened into war crimes under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Why it matters
The strike hit residential buildings in a populated urban area, destroying an entire entrance of a five-storey building and leaving people possibly trapped under rubble. The casualty count climbed from four to seven within a day, a reminder of how rapidly the picture changes after such attacks. The incident also drew a formal war crimes investigation under Ukrainian law.
What happened
On 11 October at 09:45, Russian forces carried out an airstrike on Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast. Two multi-storey residential buildings were hit; in one of them, a five-storey building, an entire entrance was completely destroyed. Sloviansk mayor Vadym Liakh, head of the city's military administration, first reported the strike via Facebook and said four people had been wounded and were receiving medical assistance. He later said three FAB-250 bombs with UMPK modules had been dropped on a residential district. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said an entire entrance of the five-storey building was destroyed and that people may remain trapped under the rubble. The Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office later put the wounded at seven civilians — five women aged 28, 52, 53, 72 and 76, and two men aged 25 and 80 — with diagnoses including closed head injuries, concussions, lacerations and contusions. A pre-trial investigation was opened into war crimes under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, guided by the Sloviansk and Kramatorsk district prosecutors' offices.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All available coverage is from Ukrainian media and agencies writing in Ukrainian. Reporting centers on official Ukrainian voices — Sloviansk mayor Vadym Liakh, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office — and emphasizes civilian harm, damage to residential buildings, the weapons used, and the war crimes investigation. Several outlets also situate the strike within a broader pattern of Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblast, including a separate shelling of Sloviansk that killed a 36-year-old man and destroyed a private house, and a strike on the village of Yasnohirka in the Kramatorsk community that wounded two civilians.
Where reporting differs
The number of wounded shifted during the day: initial reports from city officials put the toll at four, while later reporting and the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office said seven civilians were wounded, with names of injuries and ages for each. The scale of damage to residential buildings also varies — Liakh reported two multi-storey buildings partially destroyed and seven additional multi-storey buildings plus a shop damaged, while the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported nine multi-storey buildings and a shop partially destroyed or damaged. Most outlets describe the attack simply as an airstrike; later reporting attributes it to three FAB-250 bombs with UMPK modules. A subset of reports also mention a separate earlier Russian shelling of Sloviansk that killed a 36-year-old man and destroyed a private house, an incident most other sources do not address. Sloviansk sits in Donetsk Oblast, an area of sustained frontline combat since the start of the full-scale war, and on 8 October public transport had been completely halted in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk due to targeted Russian strikes.
Background
Sloviansk lies in Donetsk Oblast, an area of sustained frontline combat since the start of the full-scale war. Russian forces regularly strike Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure using strike drones, missiles, aerial bombs and multiple rocket launchers. On 8 October, public transport had been completely halted in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk on orders from the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration following targeted Russian strikes. Ukrainian authorities and international organizations characterize Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure as war crimes and describe them as targeted; Russian leadership denies carrying out targeted strikes on civilian infrastructure.