A Russian ballistic missile strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s home city of Kryvyi Rig killed 19 people, among them nine children, authorities said.
Sixty-one people were injured, the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak said after emergency operations were completed overnight.
The missile struck a residential area near a children’s playground yesterday, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rig’s military administration.
Unverified videos on social media appeared to show bodies lying on a street, while another showed a plume of smoke rising into the evening sky.
Social media video from the scene showed a car in flames, while people could be heard shouting.
“18… that is how many people were killed by the Russians when they launched a missile at Kryvyi Rig. Among them were nine children,” Mr Lysak said on Telegram.
He said 12 children were injured in yesterday’s attack.
“This is the kind of pain you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy,” said Mr Lysak.
Russia’s defence ministry said it “delivered a precision strike with a high-explosive missile at a restaurant” in the city “where commanders of formations and Western instructors were meeting”.
It said that Russian its air defence units had intercepted and destroyed 49 Ukrainian drones overnight.
‘Whole world sees it’
US President Donald Trump has been pushing for a speedy end to the more than three-year war since taking office, but his administration has failed to broker a ceasefire despite talks with both sides.
Mr Zelensky said the missile attack on the city showed Russia had no interest in stopping its full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022.
“There is only one reason why this continues – Russia does not want a ceasefire and we see it. The whole world sees it,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire in March, while the Kremlin has made a US-proposed truce in the Black Sea dependent on the West lifting certain sanctions.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that Mr Trump was not “going to fall into the trap of endless negotiations” with Russia over the invasion.
“We will know soon enough, in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not,” he said.
Mr Zelensky accused Russia of regarding diplomacy as an “empty word” in his evening address.
“A ceasefire could have been reached by now and it is Putin who rejects it,” he said.
‘Deliberate strike’
Kryvyi Rig, in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, is about 60km from the front line, and has regularly been targeted by Russian drones and missiles.
Mr Zelensky was born in the industrial city, which had a pre-war population of around 600,000 people.
Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official tasked with countering disinformation, described the missile involved in the attack on Kryvyi Rig as an “Iskander”.
The Iskander is a Russian ballistic missile system that can have a range of up to 500km.
“This is a deliberate strike to kill a large number of people,” Mr Kovalenko said.
In separate drone attack on Kryvyi Rig, Mr Lysak said a 56-year-old woman was killed and seven other people injured.
‘Tangible progress’ from talks
President Zelensky has hailed “tangible progress” after meeting British and French military chiefs in Kyiv to discuss strengthening the Ukrainian army and ways to support the war-torn country after any end of hostilities with Russia.
British chief of the defence staff Tony Radakin and French counterpart Thierry Burkhard held talks yesterday with Mr Zelensky, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky and defence minister Rustem Umerov.
Mr Zelensky wrote on social media today: “There is tangible progress and the first details on how the security contingent of partners can be deployed,” without giving details.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are spearheading European efforts to send a “reassurance force” to Ukraine after any end to the war sparked by Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Mr Zelensky thanked “the UK and France for their leadership”, saying “it is this kind of joint work, when everyone is focused on a strong result, that helps to bring a reliable and lasting peace to Ukraine”.
He said the allies are “making efforts to ensure security in Ukraine and reliable security guarantees”.
‘Determined support’
Ukraine has said Russia does not want a ceasefire, which the United States is attempting to bring about.
Mr Zelensky said yesterday evening: “We are discussing presence on the ground, in the sky and at sea.
We are also discussing air defence. And some other sensitive things,” without elaborating.
“We will be meeting at the level of our military every week. Our partners already have a lot of understanding of what Ukraine needs,” he added.
Mr Burkhard, the chief of staff of France’s armed forces, said they had discussed “reassurance options” to be provided by an international coalition.
“Together, we want to guarantee a lasting and solid peace in Ukraine, an essential condition for the security of the European continent,” he said on X.
The goal of the joint trip was to “maintain determined support” for the Ukrainian army which would allow it to continue to fight against Russian forces, he added.
Another goal was to “define a long-term strategy for the reconstruction and transformation of the army”, he added.
