Russian Missile Strike in Kryvyi Rih Kills 18, Including Nine Children

Iruni Kalupahana, JadeTimes Staff

I. Kalupahana is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Russia-Ukraine war

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Image Source: Ukrainian Emergency Service

A Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has killed 18 people, nine of them children, regional governor Serhii Lysak said. The deadly strike was conducted on Friday and also injured 72 people, ranging from a 3 months old child to elderly residents. Of the wounded, 17 are in critical condition and about half of them are still undergoing hospital treatment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose hometown is Kryvyi Rih, condemned the attack, stating the missile targeted a residential area near a playground and public streets. Local authorities reported massive destruction, including 20 apartment buildings, over 30 vehicles, an educational building, and a restaurant. The attack has caused widespread outcry and grief across the country.

The Russian Defense Ministry bore responsibility for the strike, saying it targeted a facility where Ukrainian unit commanders and Western instructors were said to be meeting. The attack killed 85 military personnel and foreign officers, Russia stated, but these assertions were not independently verifiable. The Ukrainian General Staff denounced the Russian assertions as fabrications.

A subsequent drone strike on Kryvyi Rih killed a woman and wounded seven others, further increasing tensions. Ukraine's air force reported Russian forces launched 92 drones overnight, of which 51 were destroyed. Another 31 decoy drones failed to reach their targets, indicating the ferocity of ongoing air warfare.

President Zelenskyy criticized the response of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv for not directly attributing the attack to Russia. U.S. Ambassador Bridget A. Brink was appalled by the attack but refused to directly name Russia. Zelenskyy termed the response as "unpleasantly surprising" and praised countries such as Japan, the UK, Switzerland, and Germany for making clear and principled statements.

At the same time, in Russian occupied Horlivka town in Ukraine's Donetsk province, one was killed as a result of shelling. Russian authorities reported that 28 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight in Donetsk, the first time the occupied territory was hit by long-range strikes of this magnitude. As the war rages on, demands for greater international support and air defense capabilities increase in Ukraine.