At least 19 people, including nine children, were killed in a Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in the deadliest airstrike this year in a conflict that shows no sign of easing despite the Trump administration's push for peace.
Among the 68 injured was a 3-month-old baby, while dozens of buildings, six educational institutions, along with shops and businesses, were damaged. The head of the defense of Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, and local residents said that a ballistic missile had exploded in the air and that children had been killed in or near a playground.
"We saw bodies of children lying dead here, parents crying. It's terrible. A crater formed with smoke rising. We heard a big explosion as we pretended to sleep. A children's playground was hit."
The Russian defense ministry later said a high-precision missile strike had targeted a meeting of Western unit commanders and instructors at a restaurant and that up to 85 people had been killed. But it offered no evidence to support the claims. The Ukrainian military responded by saying Russia was spreading disinformation in an attempt to cover up a cynical crime. It said Moscow had launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile with a fragmentation warhead to inflate the death toll.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that there is only one reason why all this continues: Russia does not want a ceasefire and we see it, were his words.
Authorities in Kryvyi Rih said that after the missile strike, a massive drone attack had hit the city, causing fires in at least four locations. An elderly woman was reportedly burned to death in her private home. (A2 Televizion)
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