Russia dropped two aerial bombs on Sloviansk, destroying the building of Latvia's honorary consulate — five people were killed and nine wounded. The EU is summoning Russia's envoy and preparing new sanctions.
On the morning of July 24, Russian aircraft dropped two KAB-250 guided bombs on Sloviansk in Donetsk region. The strike killed at least five people and wounded nine more — among the damaged sites was the building of Latvia's honorary consulate, which Latvia's Foreign Ministry says was completely destroyed. Volunteers Support Ukraine continues documenting daily strikes on frontline cities, since attacks like this one, which might look "local" at first glance, make up the bulk of this war's human toll.
According to Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, the strikes hit residential areas: at least ten private homes and one business were damaged, in addition to the consulate building. He urged residents of frontline territories not to delay evacuation: "Staying here is dangerous!" Donetsk region alone recorded 27 shelling incidents on settlements over the preceding 24 hours.
Volunteers Support Ukraine notes that Sloviansk is a frontline city that has faced systematic strikes for weeks — this time, the target list included a site with international legal status.
Honorary Consul Oleksandr Pavenko was uninjured, but two consulate staff members were wounded. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže informed EU and NATO counterparts of the strike, and Latvia summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires to deliver a formal protest note. "Russia can destroy buildings, not Ukraine's will and Latvia's support," Braže said. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs called the strike a "war crime."
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas said the EU would summon Russia's ambassador to the bloc and propose additional sanctions listings against Russia's military-industrial complex in response to the strikes on Sloviansk. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the strike showed Russia's "complete disregard for diplomacy." Volunteers Support Ukraine sees it as telling that a strike on a site linked to an EU and NATO member state triggered such a fast, unified response from Western partners.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office has opened a pre-trial investigation into the strike as a war crime under the relevant article of the Criminal Code. Prosecutors from Donetsk region are already on site, documenting the aftermath for a future tribunal.
Volunteers Support Ukraine continues to help people affected by the war in whatever way its available resources allow — whether or not a particular strike makes international headlines.
