A Russian missile attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s home city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday killed at least 19 people, including nine children, in one of the deadliest strikes this year as peace negotiations show little progress.
Among the 72 injured was a baby as young as three months old. The attack damaged dozens of apartment buildings, six education institutes, shops and businesses, according to Kryvyi Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul.
“Another bloody crime was committed by the terrorist country. Rocket and massive Shahed attacks on residential areas and playgrounds,” the mayor said on Telegram.
Attack Details
Ukrainian officials reported that Russian troops struck Kryvyi Rih with a ballistic missile with a cluster warhead, “designed to hit a larger area and a larger number of people.”
Rescue workers worked through the night with flashlights, moving around wrecked cars, buildings with shattered windows and a gaping crater. Residents carried materials for emergency home repairs.
“There were dead children lying there, crying parents, it was horrible,” Yulia, 47, told reporters as she surveyed the damaged blinds, fixtures and furniture in her apartment.
Russian Claims
The Russian ministry of defense claimed the strike had targeted a meeting between Ukrainian and Western officers, describing it as “a high-precision strike… with a high-explosive missile on the site of a meeting with unit commanders and Western instructors in one of the restaurants.”
“As a result of the strike, the enemy lost up to 85 servicemen and officers of foreign countries, as well as up to 20 vehicles,” the post claimed.
Ukraine’s military denounced this statement as misinformation, saying the attack showed that Russia “is in no way seeking peace, but rather intends to continue its invasion and war to destroy Ukraine.”
Zelensky’s Response
President Zelensky criticized the US Embassy’s response to the attack. After US Ambassador Bridget Brink wrote on X, “This is why the war must end,” without explicitly mentioning Russia, Zelensky called the reaction “unpleasantly surprising.”
“Such a strong country, such a strong people, and such a weak reaction,” he said. “They are even afraid to say the word ‘Russian’ when talking about the missile that killed the children.”
In his nightly address, Zelensky said it was “wrong and dangerous to keep silent about the fact that it is Russia that is killing children with ballistic missiles” and called on the West to exert greater pressure on Moscow.
Peace Negotiations
The deadly strike comes as the Trump administration continues efforts to broker peace. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed that he had met with an envoy for Putin and sent him back to Moscow with a message that “the clock is ticking” on when there needs to be a breakthrough in peace talks.
Last week, following negotiations in Saudi Arabia, the White House said both sides had agreed to a US-brokered deal to stop using force in the Black Sea and pause attacks on energy infrastructure. However, Russia responded by setting additional conditions, including lifting sanctions on its banks and exports.
Ukrainian and European leaders believe Putin is stalling while President Trump and his envoy Steve Witkoff have insisted Putin wants a peace deal.