A Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine, has killed at least 18 people, including nine children, and injured dozens more, according to Ukrainian officials. President Zelensky, a native of the city, confirmed that a residential area was hit by a ballistic missile.
Footage from the scene showed destroyed buildings and victims in a playground and on the road. Russia claimed the missile targeted a meeting of Ukrainian commanders and Western advisers, but Ukraine dismissed this as false propaganda to mask a civilian attack.
Ukraine said a cluster warhead was used to inflict maximum casualties. The missile hit Friday evening and is one of the deadliest strikes on the city since the war began. Over 40 people, including a three-month-old baby, were injured. Hours later, a wave of drone attacks caused fires across Kryvyi Rih, killing one elderly woman.
As international leaders discuss peacekeeping possibilities, violence continues. Russia has been accused of stalling peace talks, while attacks in other Ukrainian cities like Kharkiv have also claimed lives in recent days.
