NPR Removes Mention of Children's Ages in Ukraine Attack Update

A recent update to a news article about a Russian missile attack on a Kyiv apartment building removed the mention of the ages of those killed, changing the description of the victims from 'three children' to 'three teenagers'. The original article stated, 'KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that a Russian missile attack on a Kyiv apartment building the previous day killed 24 people, including three children.' The revised article now reads, 'KYIV, Ukraine — The death toll from a Russian missile attack that flattened a Kyiv apartment building rose Friday to 24, including three teenagers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as he led the mourning for one of the deadliest attacks on the capital in the 4-year-old war.' This change may be significant for readers who are following the impact of the conflict on civilians, particularly children. The removal of this detail could affect how readers understand the scale of the attack's human cost.

Related Changes

Death toll in attack on Kyiv apartment building now stands at 24 +648 -414
Special Series Ukraine invasion — explained The roots of Russia's invasion of Ukraine go back decades and run deep. The current conflict is more than one country fighting to take over another; it is — in the words of one U.S. official — a shift in "the world order."Here are some helpful stories to make sense of it all.
− By The Associated Press Rescue workers clear the rubble of a house heavily damaged after a Russian strike on a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
+ By The Associated Press A woman cries as she lays down flowers in front of a house heavily damaged after a Russian strike on residential neighbourhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday, May 15, 2026.
− Evgeniy Maloletka/AP hide caption KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that a Russian missile attack on a Kyiv apartment building the previous day killed 24 people, including three children.
+ Efrem Lukatsky/AP hide caption KYIV, Ukraine — The death toll from a Russian missile attack that flattened a Kyiv apartment building rose Friday to 24, including three teenagers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as he led the mourning for one of the deadliest attacks on the capital in the 4-year-old war.
− Emergency workers finished digging through the building's rubble after more than a day, Zelenskyy said on X.
+ The cruise missile hit the nine-story corner apartment block Thursday during what the Ukrainian air force said was Russia's biggest barrage on the country of the full-scale invasion. Emergency workers finished digging through the rubble searching for victims after more than a day, Zelenskyy said on X.
− The cruise missile hit the nine-story corner block during what the Ukrainian air force said was Russia's biggest barrage of the country since its all-out invasion.
+ Crowds of grieving people — many of them children — streamed toward a makeshift memorial beneath a tree near the destroyed building.
− The assault mostly targeted the Ukrainian capital, where 48 people were wounded, including two children, Zelenskyy said.
+ Teenagers clutching bouquets arrived in groups and broke into tears as they approached the growing mound of flowers and stuffed toys beside photographs of the dead. A portrait of a girl in a school uniform, posed against a bright yellow backdrop, was among the photos.
− Russia hammered Ukraine with large-scale aerial attacks in the days following a May 9-11 ceasefire that U.S.
+ Zelenskyy and other top government officials visited the site to pay tribute to the dead, as did Kyiv-based foreign diplomats. Russia has hammered Ukraine with large-scale aerial attacks in the days since a May 9-11 ceasefire that U.S.
− President Donald Trump said he asked Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to observe.
+ President Trump said he asked Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to observe.
− Fighting went on over those 72 hours, although reportedly on a lesser scale.
+ Fighting continued over those 72 hours, although reportedly on a lesser scale.
− This week's attacks ran counter to recent suggestions from Trump and Putin that the war, now in its fifth year, is close to ending. Zelenskyy said Thursday that Moscow had launched more than 1,560 drones against Ukrainian population centers since Wednesday.
+ Rescue workers clear the rubble of a house heavily damaged after a Russian strike on a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
− In all, some 180 sites across the country were damaged, including more than 50 residential buildings, he said.
+ Evgeniy Maloletka/AP hide caption This week's attacks ran counter to recent suggestions from Trump and Putin that the war is close to ending.
− Previously, the biggest Russian drone attack was from the evening of March 23 to the evening of March 24 when Moscow's forces fired nearly 1,000 drones and missiles at Ukraine.
+ The assault mostly targeted the Ukrainian capital, where 48 people were wounded, including two children, Zelenskyy said.
− The Ukrainian capital observed an official day of mourning Friday in remembrance of those killed.
+ He said Moscow had launched more than 1,560 drones against Ukrainian population centers since Wednesday, adding that about 180 sites across the country were damaged, including more than 50 residential buildings.
− The cruise missile that hit the apartment building was built in the second quarter of this year, Zelenskyy said, apparently after Ukrainian experts analyzed the wreckage.
+ Previously, the biggest Russian drone attack was on March 23-24 when Moscow's forces fired nearly 1,000 drones and missiles at Ukraine. Thursday's death toll in Kyiv approached one from July 2024 that killed 32 civilians and injured another 85.
− "This means Russia is still importing the components, resources, and equipment necessary for missile production in circumvention of global sanctions," Zelenskyy said in another post on X late Thursday.
+ Ukraine has also built up significant long-range capabilities, and Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday that its air defenses downed 355 Ukrainian drones overnight in one of the largest barrages of the war. Several airports suspended flights overnight because of the attacks.
− "Stopping Russia's sanctions evasion schemes must be a genuine priority for all our partners," he said.
+ A Ukrainian drone struck Ryazan, a city about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Moscow, killed four people, including a child, regional Gov. Pavel Malkov said. Massive plumes of black smoke rose from a fire at an oil refinery. Ukraine has targeted Russian oil facilities to try to deny vital revenue for Moscow and rattle the Kremlin.
− Russia and Ukraine have continued to occasionally swap prisoners of war, and 205 from each country returned home Friday.
+ Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment on the Ryazan strike.
− Zelenskyy said it was the first phase of a planned 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap.
+ The cruise missile that hit the Kyiv apartment building was built in the second quarter of this year, Zelenskyy said, apparently after Ukrainian experts analyzed the wreckage. "This means Russia is still importing the components, resources and equipment necessary for missile production in circumvention of global sanctions," he said in another post on X late Thursday.
− Some of the Ukrainians released had been held in Russian captivity since 2022, he said, and had fought in some of the war's fiercest battles.
+ "Stopping Russia's sanctions evasion schemes must be a genuine priority for all our partners." Also on Friday, Russia and Ukraine swapped 205 prisoners of war, one of an occasional exchange.
− Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed the exchange and thanked the United Arab Emirates for helping broker it.
+ Zelenskyy said it was the first phase of a planned swap of 1,000 POWs from each side. Some of the Ukrainians have been held by Russia since 2022 and fought in some of the war's fiercest battles, he added.
+ Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed the exchange and thanked the United Arab Emirates for helping to broker it.
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