Ukraine slams 'weak' US response as nine children killed in Russian attack on Zelensky's home town

LAST UPDATE | 22 hrs ago

UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR Zelensky has slammed the US embassy in Ukraine for what he called a “weak” statement that did not blame Russia for a missile strike that killed 18 people.

The criticism came as US President Donald Trump has pushed for a partial ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine while seeking a thaw in ties with Moscow.

A Russian ballistic missile strike on Friday evening hit a residential area in Zelensky’s home town of Kryvyi Rig in central Ukraine, killing 18 including nine children.

The Ukrainian president said 62 were wounded.

The missile struck a residential area near a children’s playground on yesterday, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rig’s military administration.

Social media video from the scene showed a car in flames, while people could be heard shouting.

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

He added that 12 children were injured in the attack.

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

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Russia’s defence ministry said it “delivered a precision strike with a high-explosive missile at a restaurant” in the city “where commanders of formations and Western instructors were meeting”.

It said that Russian air defence units had intercepted and destroyed 49 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Zelensky said the missile attack on the city showed Russia had no interest in stopping its full-scale invasion, launched in February 2022.

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

Kryvyi Rig, in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, is about 60 kilometres from the front line, and has regularly been targeted by Russian drones and missiles.

Zelensky was born in the industrial city, which had a pre-war population of around 600,000 people.

Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official tasked with countering disinformation, described the missile involved in the attack on Kryvyi Rig as an “Iskander”.

The Iskander is a Russian ballistic missile system that can have a range of up to 500 kilometres.

“This is a deliberate strike to kill a large number of people,” Kovalenko said.

In separate drone attack on Kryvyi Rig, Lysak said a 56-year-old woman was killed and seven other people injured.