Children Among 19 Killed In Russian Strike On Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine Calls It ‘Civilian Targeting’

<p>At least 19 people, including nine children, were killed in a Russian strike in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday. Russia’s Defence Ministry said it targeted a military gathering there, but the Ukrainian military denounced the Russian statement as misinformation.</p>
<p>On the Telegram messaging app, Serhiy Lysak, the regional governor, wrote that a missile hit residential areas, killing 18. Later, Russian drones attacked homes and killed one person, Oleksandr Vilkul, the city’s military administrator, according to a Reuters report.</p>
<p>Images shared online depicted bodies of the dead and injured lying on the pavement, with grey smoke billowing into the sky. Russia&rsquo;s Defence Ministry said in a Telegram post that it had carried out a &ldquo;high-precision strike,&rdquo; claiming the target was &ldquo;a meeting of unit commanders and Western instructors&rdquo; taking place in a restaurant.</p>
<p>”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 said, as per Reuters.</p>
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<p>US President Donald Trump, who assumed office in January with a promise to end the war within 24 hours, has been actively working to broker peace. Last week, the US announced it had reached two ceasefire agreements with Russia and Ukraine, including one aimed at stopping attacks on each other&rsquo;s energy infrastructure.</p>
<p>Rescue workers laboured through the night in Kryvyi Rih, using flashlights to navigate around mangled cars, shattered buildings, and a massive crater. According to Reuters, eyewitnesses and residents were seen carrying foil and timber to make emergency repairs to their homes.</p>
<p>Some people used the light from their mobile phones as they registered at local aid centres.</p>
<p>The strike on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown was among Moscow&rsquo;s deadliest attacks this year in the ongoing conflict, which began with the Kremlin&rsquo;s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.</p>
<p>At least 50 people were injured in the strike, according to emergency services, who noted that the number was continuing to rise. Lysak said more than 30 individuals, including a three-month-old baby, were hospitalised.</p>
<p>Russia continues to deny targeting civilians, even though thousands have been killed and injured since the start of the invasion.</p>
<p>Ukraine’s General Staff condemned the latest attack, stating it demonstrated that Russia “is in no way seeking peace, but rather intends to continue its invasion and war to destroy Ukraine and all Ukrainians.”</p>
<p>In his nightly video address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Western nations to increase pressure on Moscow.</p>
<p>Both sides accused each other once again on Friday of violating the ceasefire agreement regarding energy infrastructure. Russia&rsquo;s Defence Ministry claimed that Ukrainian forces had attacked Russian energy facilities six times in the previous 24 hours. In response, Zelenskyy reported that Russia had carried out a drone strike on a thermal power plant in the city of Kherson.</p>