1 dead after a Russian missile hits a Ukrainian apartment block

ILLIA NOVIKOV The Associated Press

A Ukrainian serviceman of 117th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade carries his dog from a AS-90 self-propelled artillery vehicle after firing towards Russian positions at the frontline on Pokrovsk direction, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Evgeniy Maloletka]

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian ballistic missile struck a residential building Tuesday in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih and at least one person was killed, local authorities said.

Gov. Serhii Lysak said at least 11 other people were injured and more people could be trapped beneath the rubble of the four-story apartment block.

Social media footage showed one side of the building had almost completely collapsed.

“Unfortunately, we are preparing for difficult news,” Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul wrote on his Telegram channel.

Minutes before his post, Ukraine’s air force alerted a “ballistic missile strike threat” for southern and central regions of Ukraine, later signaling a “high-speed” target flying in the direction of Kryvyi Rih.

The strike came as Ukraine prepared to officially celebrate Christmas for the second time on Dec. 25. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed legislation in July 2023 to bring Ukraine’s public Christmas holiday in line with the majority of other European countries, rather than the later date followed in Russia.

The shift sought to assert Ukraine’s national identity amid Russia’s full-scale invasion.

“While the rest of the world celebrates Christmas, Ukrainians continue to suffer from endless Russian attacks,” Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, wrote on social media.