Russian Airstrike on Sloviansk Kills 5, Damages Latvian Consulate

Five people were killed and nine others injured after Russian forces dropped two guided aerial bombs (KABs) on the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk on Friday, July 24, damaging homes, businesses, and the Honorary Consulate of Latvia. According to Donetsk Regional Military Administration (OVA) head Vadym Filashkin, the strike damaged at least 10 private homes, a business, and the premises of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Latvia.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The Russians attack our cities every day – and for the second day in a row their attacks lead to numerous victims in Sloviansk,” Filashkin wrote on Facebook. Sloviansk City Military Administration head Vadym Lyakh said the attack took place at around 10:40 a.m. The strike also damaged a wholesale warehouse, a private enterprise, the foreign consulate building, and eight vehicles, three of which were destroyed. One of those killed was a resident of the nearby village of Bylbasivka, born in 1950. The identities of the four remaining victims are still being established by forensic experts. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office has opened a pre-trial investigation into the attack as a suspected war crime under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. On Thursday, Russian forces dropped two aerial bombs on a residential neighborhood in Sloviansk, injuring at least 14 people and damaging 7 five-story apartment buildings. Other Topics of Interest ‘Significant Problems’ in Russian Banking System as Public Withdraws Cash en Masse Russian banks are borrowing record sums from the central bank as cash withdrawals surge amid drone-related internet blackouts and economic anxiety. Filashkin said the bombs struck a residential area during the afternoon. He initially reported 10 people, aged 36 to 82, injured before later updating the toll to 14. “The victims received the necessary medical care,” Filashkin said, accusing Russian forces of once again deliberately targeting residential neighborhoods. “They are hunting civilians and trying to turn ordinary life into constant fear,” he added. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) said the strike sparked three fires covering about 630 square meters (6,781 square feet). Two apartment buildings and several garages caught fire, with firefighters later bringing all blazes under control. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.