At least 18 people, including nine children, were killed and more than 60 were injured when Russian missiles were attacked on Friday in central Ukraine city Krivii Li, local officials said. Despite the continued ceasefire talks, the latest attacks in a series of Russian attacks on urban areas have led to serious civilian casualties.
Serhii Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk region, including Kryvyi Rih, said on social media that the missile had hit a residential area with a playground nearby. Other officials warned that deaths could rise as rescuers continued to search for the victims.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the Krivili missile strike on Friday. The missiles claimed they targeted restaurants where Ukrainian commanders and western military leaders met, killing a total of 85 military personnel.
While Moscow has long argued that it aims to be a military target, direct Russian strikes in civilian regions and facilities are often documented by journalists and independent organisations.
The attacks came on Friday as Russia appeared to have stepped up attacks on civilian regions in recent weeks. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown, Kryvyi Rih, was also hit in the attack that killed four people on Wednesday. The city mayor said on Thursday the Russian drone attack on the eastern city of Kalkiv also killed four people.
The number of civilian casualties could not be independently verified.
The extraordinarily high casualties on Friday are as both countries are engaged in ceasefire negotiations aimed at reducing the impact of the war on civilians. Ukraine and Russia have so far committed to halting energy infrastructure and attacks on the Black Sea, but these ditches have not yet been implemented, with both sides denounced the violation.
The launch of ceasefire negotiations in mid-February were hoped that the fighting would be mitigated as both sides aimed to demonstrate to the US, the mediator. However, the war is unabated and furious.
A series of Ukrainian cities, many of which are far from the frontline, suffering from fatal strikes. Russia’s massive drone attack on Kiev, the capital, killed three civilians last month, hours before talks via the US to discuss a partial ceasefire launched in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to attack, including launching drones within Russia.
In a social media post, Zelensky said Friday’s attack was evidence that “Russia doesn’t want a ceasefire, and we’re seeing it.”
Zelensky reiterated the widespread Ukrainian sentiment that the Kremlin is engaged in ceasefire negotiations as a well-intentioned sky show to curry favors with the White House, but it has no intention of stopping the fight.
Ukraine initially agreed to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to stop all combat. However, Russia rejected the proposal and instead proposed a more limited ceasefire focused on the Black Sea and energy infrastructure that Ukraine had embraced last week.
Since then, both sides have accused each other of attacking their respective energy systems. Moscow has effectively frozen its implementation by demanding the lifting of economic sanctions before the maritime ceasefire takes effect.
The Trump administration appears tired of the ceasefire negotiations that were drawn out.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Brussels on Friday that it was overtime to convince the Trump administration that Russia was serious about the peace deal with Ukraine.
“We’re testing to see if Russians are interested in peace,” Rubio added. “Their words, not words, their actions, determine whether they are serious or not, and we’re going to find it sooner than later.”
Images from the aftermath of Friday’s attack, posted by Zelensky, showed the bodies spreading over the grass, although what looked like a playground. Around the playground there was construction of windows that had been torn apart by the tree top and shattered by the blast.
Zelensky’s wife, Olena Zelenska, was referring to a series of recent Russian strikes in which she posted long emotional messages on social media following the attack, killing civilians.
“‘What’s going on in Ukraine? Are they quiet now? We’ve heard something about the ceasefire,” the foreigner asked, far from the war,” she wrote.
“Of course I also heard ‘something’,” she continued. “The sound of the alarm. The approach of missiles and drones. The screams and cries. I can still hear them. They will be with us forever.”
