In a ballistic missile attack carried out by Russian forces on Ukrainian President Zelenskiy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih, 18 people, including 9 children, lost their lives. Ukrainian officials stated that the missile hit a residential area close to a children’s playground. Among the casualties of the ballistic missile attack on the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kryvyi Rih, were 9 children among the 18 reported dead. Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak reported that 61 people were injured. According to Kryvyi Rih military administration head Oleksandr Vilkul, the missile hit a residential area near a children’s playground yesterday.

Unverified videos on social media show lifeless bodies lying on a street and a cloud of smoke rising into the sky on another. Videos shared on social media from the scene depict a car engulfed in flames as people can be heard screaming. Lysak stated in a Telegram message that 12 children were among the injured, emphasizing, “This is the kind of pain you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemy.” The Russian Defense Ministry announced that a high-explosive missile struck a restaurant where unit commanders and Western instructors were meeting in the city.

The Ministry also reported that Russian air defense units intercepted and destroyed 49 Ukrainian drones throughout the night. Zelenskiy, in a video address last night, mentioned that rescue efforts were still ongoing and called on the West to exert more pressure on Moscow. The Ukrainian leader stated, “For Russia, all promises end with missiles, drones, bombs, or cannons. Diplomacy means nothing to them.”