Kyiv/Moscow: A Russian missile and drone assault on the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has left at least 19 people dead, including nine children, according to Ukrainian officials. While local authorities described the attack as a strike on residential areas, Russia’s Defence Ministry insisted it was a precision operation aimed at a military gathering.
Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, stated on Telegram that a missile hit residential zones, killing 18 people and triggering several fires. A subsequent drone strike reportedly killed one more civilian, as confirmed by Oleksandr Vilkul, Kryvyi Rih’s military administrator.
Photographs circulating on social media and Ukrainian news platforms showed harrowing scenes of destruction, with victims lying on the pavement amid wreckage and smoke billowing into the sky.
Nine children were among at least 19 people killed in President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's hometown in one of Moscow's deadliest strikes on Ukraine this year https://t.co/Lmk3zs1QW6 pic.twitter.com/oQ1f7C2pGt
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 5, 2025
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed in a Telegram post that its forces had launched “a high-precision strike” targeting “a meeting of unit commanders and Western instructors” in a local restaurant.
“As a result of the strike, enemy losses total up to 85 servicemen and officers of foreign countries, as well as up to 20 vehicles,” the ministry asserted.
Ukraine’s military rejected this version of events, accusing Moscow of spreading disinformation.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump, who assumed office in January after promising to resolve the war within 24 hours, has continued efforts to mediate a peace settlement. Last week, the U.S. announced it had brokered two ceasefire agreements with both Russia and Ukraine, including one specifically focused on halting attacks on energy infrastructure.
Despite the diplomatic developments, Friday’s strike—on President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s hometown—stands as one of the deadliest this year. The full-scale invasion by Russia, which began in February 2022, has already left thousands of civilians dead and injured.
Rescue operations in Kryvyi Rih extended through the night as emergency workers, using flashlights and mobile phones for illumination, searched through debris and helped residents salvage their homes. Damaged vehicles, shattered glass, and a large crater marked the aftermath.
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“There were dead children lying there, crying parents, it was horrible,” said Yulia, a 47-year-old resident, as she assessed the damage to her apartment.
Ukrainian emergency services said that more than 50 people were injured in the assault, with over 30 hospitalized, including a three-month-old baby.
The Ukrainian General Staff condemned the attack, stating it demonstrated Russia’s unwillingness to pursue peace.
“Russia is in no way seeking peace, but rather intends to continue its invasion and war to destroy Ukraine and all Ukrainians,” it said.
In his nightly video address, President Zelenskiy urged Western nations to intensify pressure on Moscow, citing continued violations of the agreed ceasefire terms.
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Both sides traded fresh accusations of breaking the energy-infrastructure truce on Friday. Russia’s Defence Ministry reported six Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities in the past 24 hours. In response, Zelenskiy said a Russian drone strike had hit a thermal power plant in the city of Kherson.
