Russian missile strike kills 18 in Zelensky’s hometown

A Russian ballistic missile strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s home city of Kryvyi Rih killed no fewer than 18 people, including nine children, on Friday, April 4, 2025.

Ukrainian authorities confirmed the incident on Saturday.

The missile struck a residential area near a children’s playground and wounded 61 people, the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysa said on Saturday after emergency operations were completed overnight.

Unverified videos on social media appeared to show bodies lying on a street, while another showed a plume of smoke rising into the evening sky.

“18… that is how many people were killed by the Russians when they launched a missile at Kryvyi Rig. Among them were nine children,” Lysak said on Telegram.

He said 12 children were injured in Friday’s attack.

“This is the kind of pain you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy,” Lysak added.

Russia’s defence ministry confirmed it had launched a missile at Kryvyi Rih but said it had struck a gathering of Ukrainian servicemen and foreign instructors, killing up to 85 people.

“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 on Telegram.

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Zelensky was born in Kryvyi Rih, which had a pre-war population of about 600,000 people.

The Ukrainian leader said: “There is only one reason why this continues – Russia does not want a ceasefire and we see it. The whole world sees it.

“And only the world’s pressure on Russia, all efforts to strengthen Ukraine, our air defence, our forces – only this will determine when the war will end.”

United States President Donald Trump’s administration has been pushing for a speedy end to the more than three-year war, holding talks with both Russia and Ukraine.

Russia has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire, while Ukraine has accused Russia of dragging out talks with no intention of halting its offensive.

Ukraine is seeking security guarantees from its allies in the event of a peace agreement with Russia to prevent a repeat of its February 2022 full-scale invasion.

Speaking to reporters in Kyiv after meeting British and French military chiefs, Zelensky said European military planners could be ready within a month with details of a foreign troop contingent in Ukraine.

He emphasised that many other countries would also contribute to the effort, which envisages foreign troops patrolling Ukrainian land, sea and airspace, AFP reported.

The Star