Russian Missile Strike Kills 18 in Zelensky's Hometown

A Russian ballistic missile strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rig killed 18 people, including nine children, on Friday, authorities confirmed. The missile hit a residential area near a children’s playground, injuring over two dozen others, according to local officials.

The devastating strike has drawn widespread condemnation, with unverified videos circulating on social media showing bodies lying in the streets and a column of smoke rising into the evening sky. The head of the city's military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, stated that the missile had caused significant damage to residential buildings and left numerous civilians wounded.

"The loss of 18 lives, including nine children, is a tragedy no words can describe," said Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak on Telegram. He reported that 61 people were injured in the attack, including 12 children, with many in critical condition. "This is the kind of pain you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemy," Lysak added.

Russia's Ministry of Defence claimed responsibility for the strike, describing it as a "precision strike" aimed at a restaurant where alleged commanders and Western military instructors were meeting. However, the Ukrainian government has dismissed this claim, labeling the attack as a deliberate act of terror.

In a separate drone attack on the city, another person was killed and three others injured, according to Lysak.

Ukrainian President Zelensky condemned the attack, asserting that it further demonstrated Russia's refusal to halt its full-scale invasion, which began 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," Zelensky said in an evening address.

Kryvyi Rig, a key industrial city in central Ukraine with a pre-war population of approximately 600,000, has frequently been targeted by Russian missile and drone strikes. On Friday, five apartment buildings were damaged in the attack, and local police were seen cordoning off the area to secure the site and document the destruction.

Interior Minister Igor Klymenko described the strike as part of Russia's broader pattern of war crimes, adding that authorities were collecting evidence and victim statements. "The police are documenting the consequences of Russia's war crime and accepting statements from the victims," Klymenko said.

Social media footage from the scene depicted a car engulfed in flames and panicked civilians shouting for help. Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official responsible for countering disinformation, identified the missile used in the attack as an Iskander, a Russian ballistic missile system known for its long range and precision. "This is a deliberate strike meant to inflict maximum casualties," Kovalenko said.

Zelensky has previously accused Russia of disregarding diplomacy. "A ceasefire could have been reached by now, and it is Putin who rejects it," he stated, emphasizing that Moscow continues to prioritize military escalation over peaceful negotiations.

The international community, including U.S. officials, has continued to call for an end to the violence, but Russia’s rejection of peace talks persists. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently remarked that it would soon be clear whether Russia is genuinely interested in peace or merely engaging in a prolonged war of attrition.

As the city of Kryvyi Rig continues to recover from the devastation, the attack underscores the growing risks faced by civilians in Ukrainian cities located near the front lines.