A Russian ballistic missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday evening has killed at least 16 people and injured over 40, according to Ukrainian officials. Among the dead are six children. The missile struck a residential neighbourhood, causing widespread destruction to homes and infrastructure.
The head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, Serhii Lysak, confirmed the attack and the casualties, stating that at least 20 residential buildings were damaged or destroyed. Numerous vehicles, educational institutions, and catering establishments were also affected.
Local authorities reported that the missile struck the heart of a densely populated district. A children’s playground was located in the immediate vicinity of the impact zone. The initial reports indicated 12 fatalities, including two children. However, the death toll rose steadily throughout the evening as rescue operations continued, eventually reaching 16 confirmed dead by 21:48 local time.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the incident in a statement posted on Telegram, condemning the attack and expressing condolences to the victims’ families. “A Russian missile on an ordinary city. Just on a street. In an area with residential buildings. Preliminary information suggests it was a ballistic missile. As of now, 14 people are known to have been killed, including six children,” the President said earlier in the evening.
Emergency services were quickly deployed to the site. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS) released images showing the scale of the devastation, with emergency workers searching through rubble and extinguishing fires in damaged apartment buildings. According to Lysak, fires broke out in several buildings following the impact.
Medical facilities in Kryvyi Rih remain under significant pressure. By 20:46, more than 30 injured individuals had been taken to hospital, with many undergoing surgery. Among the injured are several children, the youngest being a three-month-old boy with laceration wounds. Medical personnel reported that the child received treatment and is now recovering at home.
The city’s civil defence chief, Oleksandr Vilkul, confirmed that the missile had struck the centre of a residential district. He initially reported 12 fatalities and more than 50 injured. Subsequent updates from the regional administration revised the figures as rescue operations continued.
At 21:14, Lysak provided a further update, stating that approximately twenty multi-storey residential buildings and more than thirty private vehicles had been damaged or destroyed. Several schools and public dining facilities also sustained damage. He emphasised that rescue operations were ongoing and that the number of casualties could rise.
Friday’s strike came just two days after another missile attack on Kryvyi Rih. On 2 April, four people were killed and 14 wounded when Russian forces targeted the city. That attack also resulted in significant structural damage to residential buildings.
Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city in central Ukraine and the birthplace of President Zelenskyy, has been subjected to repeated missile and drone attacks since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The targeting of civilian infrastructure and residential areas has drawn international condemnation and accusations of war crimes.
Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly called for increased air defence capabilities to protect civilian populations from such attacks. Friday’s strike, using what appears to have been a ballistic missile, highlights the challenges Ukraine continues to face in shielding its urban centres from high-velocity aerial threats.
While search and rescue efforts are ongoing, the Ukrainian government has pledged to support those affected by the attack. Local officials have begun assessing the damage, and emergency shelters have been established for residents displaced by the destruction.
The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is expected to open a formal investigation into the attack, which may be added to a growing body of evidence submitted to international courts examining alleged Russian violations of international humanitarian law.
As of Friday evening, no official comment had been issued by the Russian Ministry of Defence regarding the strike on Kryvyi Rih.
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