By Andreas Stein
dpa
Kiev (dpa) — At least 16 people were killed, six of them children, in a Russian missile strike on a residential area of the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The ballistic missile damaged multi-story apartment buildings and set cars and garages on fire, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s military administration, on Telegram. More than 50 people were injured.
Officials said the missile struck near a children’s playground.
The Russian military confirmed the strike on Kryvyi Rih, describing it as a “high-precision” operation.
The Russian Defence Ministry said the target was a restaurant where Ukrainian commanders were allegedly meeting with Western instructors. “The attack made the enemy lose up to 85 service members and military officers from foreign countries,” the statement said.
Moscow did not mention any civilian casualties. Images released by Ukrainian authorities from the scene showed no visible signs of military targets.
Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, lies about 70 kilometres from the front line.
Meanwhile, in the city of Kharkiv, recovery work was still under way late Friday after five people were killed and 34 injured in a Russian drone attack the previous night, Zelensky said in his evening video address.
Zelensky also accused Russia of intentionally targeting a power plant in Kherson using a camera-guided drone. “The Russians know this is an energy facility, and these facilities must be protected from any attacks in accordance with Russia’s promises to the Americans,” he said.
The attack came despite an agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to impose a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure. While Putin rejected a full ceasefire, Kiev later joined the energy-site truce. Since then, both sides have repeatedly accused one another of violating the deal.
Zelensky on Friday once again called on the US to intervene and hold Moscow accountable.
“All Russian promises end with missiles and drones, bombs or artillery,” he said in the video.
Ukraine has been defending itself against Russia’s all-out invasion for more than three years.
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