by Temitope Oladeji
5/4/2025
At least a total of 18 people have been killed in one of Russia’s deadliest missile attacks this year, after a residential area in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih was struck on Friday, according to local officials, among them are nine children.
The city is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The strike, which reportedly involved a ballistic missile, hit civilian infrastructure, igniting fires and causing widespread destruction.
Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram that residential blocks were severely damaged and rescue efforts were ongoing.
Emergency services confirmed that not more than 50 people were injured, and more than 30, including a three-month-old infant, were hospitalized.
Graphic, unverified videos circulating on social media showed victims lying on the pavement, some near a playground, with plumes of grey smoke billowing over the city.
Ukrainian Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said the missile used in the attack was ballistic, which is very difficult to intercept due to its speed and trajectory. “Not a single military facility, just civilian infrastructure,” Lubinets emphasized.
In contrast, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed responsibility for the strike, stating it had targeted a gathering of Ukrainian military personnel and foreign instructors.
It alleged the attack killed up to 85 servicemen and foreign officers and destroyed around 20 vehicles, a claim Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned the assault and urged the international community to increase pressure on Moscow.
Zelensky said, “The whole world sees it. Each missile, every attack drone proves that Russia seeks only war”.
The missile strike on Kryvyi Rih followed an earlier drone assault on the northeastern city of Kharkiv, where at least four civilians were killed and 35 others injured.
The fourth attack on Kharkiv this week, the overnight strike, damaged several residential buildings and caused fires.
President Zelenskyy also reported that Russian drones had hit a thermal power plant in the southern city of Kherson, in what he described as a breach of the U.S.-mediated moratorium on attacks against energy infrastructure.
Later on Friday, Kryvyi Rih was subjected to a second wave of drone attacks, described by local officials as “massive,” with fires breaking out at four separate sites across the city.
The escalation in violence comes as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a ceasefire between the two warring nations.
Last week, Washington announced a tentative agreement with both Moscow and Kyiv to halt strikes on each other’s energy facilities.
However, both Ukraine and Russia have since accused one another of violating the deal.
Ukraine has reportedly accepted a U.S. proposal for a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire. Russia, according to American officials, declined to support the same terms in separate diplomatic discussions.