A ballistic missile strike by Russia on the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kryvyi Rig, resulted in the deaths of 18 individuals, including nine children, as reported by local authorities.
According to Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak, 61 people sustained injuries following the completion of emergency operations overnight.
The missile hit a residential neighborhood close to a children’s playground yesterday, as stated by Oleksandr Vilkul, who heads Kryvyi Rig’s military administration.
A residential area lies in ruins following the Russian missile attack in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.
Unverified videos circulating on social media appeared to depict bodies on a street, with another video showing smoke billowing into the evening sky.
“18… that is the number of lives taken by the Russians when they targeted Kryvyi Rig with a missile. Among them were nine children,” Mr. Lysak communicated via Telegram.
He also mentioned that 12 children were among those injured in the attack yesterday.
“This is a kind of suffering you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemy,” remarked Mr. Lysak.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed it carried out a “precision strike with a high-explosive missile at a restaurant” in the city where “commanders of formations and Western instructors were convening.”
Additionally, it reported that Russian air defense units intercepted and destroyed 49 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that rescue operations were still ongoing in Kryvyi Rih.
‘The whole world sees it’
US President Donald Trump has been advocating for a swift resolution to the ongoing war, which has lasted more than three years since his administration began, although attempts to negotiate a ceasefire have not succeeded.
Mr. Zelensky insisted that the missile assault on the city demonstrated Russia’s lack of desire to halt its full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022.
“The sole reason this continues is that Russia is not interested in a ceasefire, and we all see it. The whole world is witnessing this,” he stated.
Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed a joint proposal from the US and Ukraine for an unconditional and comprehensive ceasefire in March, while the Kremlin has conditioned a US-suggested truce in the Black Sea on the lifting of certain Western sanctions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated yesterday that Mr. Trump would not “fall into the trap of endless negotiations” with Russia regarding the invasion.
“We will know soon enough, in weeks rather than months, whether Russia is genuinely seeking peace,” he commented.
In his evening address, Mr. Zelensky accused Russia of treating diplomacy as an “empty word.”
“A ceasefire could have been negotiated by now, and it is Putin who is rejecting it,” he remarked.
Read more: Russia agrees to a 30-day pause on strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy sector.
‘Deliberate strike’
Kryvyi Rig, located approximately 60km from the front lines in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, has frequently been the target of Russian drones and missiles.
Mr. Zelensky was born in this industrial city, which had a pre-war population of roughly 600,000.
Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official assigned to counter misinformation, identified the missile involved in the Kryvyi Rig attack as an “Iskander.”
The Iskander is a Russian ballistic missile system capable of reaching distances of up to 500km.
“This is clearly a deliberate strike aimed at creating mass casualties,” Mr. Kovalenko stated.
In a separate drone strike on Kryvyi Rig, Mr. Lysak reported that a 56-year-old woman was killed and seven others were injured.
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‘Tangible progress’ from talks
President Zelensky expressed optimism about “tangible progress” after discussions with British and French military leaders in Kyiv, focusing on bolstering the Ukrainian military and ensuring support for the war-torn nation post-conflict.
British chief of the defense staff Tony Radakin and French counterpart Thierry Burkhard met yesterday with Mr. Zelensky, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky, and defense minister Rustem Umerov.
Today, Mr. Zelensky posted on social media: “We are seeing tangible progress and initial details on how our partner security contingent can be deployed,” although he withheld further specifics.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are leading European efforts to establish a “reassurance force” in Ukraine following the resolution of the conflict initiated by Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Mr. Zelensky expressed gratitude to “the UK and France for their leadership,” emphasizing that “this kind of collaborative effort, where everyone aims for a strong outcome, aids in achieving a reliable and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
He stated that allies are “working to ensure security in Ukraine and establish robust security guarantees.”
‘Determined support’
Ukraine has asserted that Russia is disinterested in a ceasefire, a situation the United States is attempting to address.
Yesterday evening, Mr. Zelensky said, “We are discussing presence on the ground, in the air, and at sea. We are also addressing air defense and several other sensitive topics,” without providing further detail.
“Our military will convene weekly. Our partners already possess significant awareness of Ukraine’s needs,” he added.
Mr. Burkhard, the chief of staff of France’s armed forces, indicated that discussions focused on “reassurance options” that could be provided through an international coalition.
“Together, we aim to ensure a lasting and solid peace in Ukraine, which is essential for the security of the European continent,” he stated on X.
The objectives of the joint trip were to “maintain determined support” for the Ukrainian armed forces, enabling them to continue their resistance against Russian forces, as well as to “define a long-term strategy for the reconstruction and transformation of the army,” he added.
