At least four people have died in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, after Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on Wednesday evening.
The head of the city’s military administration Oleksandr Vilkul said in a post on Facebook that a large fire broke out following the strike, which also damaged civilian infrastructure.
Governor Serhii Lysak said 14 people were injured, including an eight-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl.
Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and lies around 70 kilometres from the nearest frontline. It has often been targeted by Russian strikes since it full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel that “the only way to put an end to this is through sufficient pressure on Moscow and the Russian system, forcing them to abandon war and terror.”
“Achieving this depends on our partners—America, Europe, and others around the globe,” he added. “The only thing standing between us and the complete and unconditional cessation of these strikes is Russia’s unwillingness to stop the war.”
Kyiv argues that Russian strikes on civilian areas undermine the ongoing peace negotiations facilitated by the United States under the Trump administration.
Ukraine and Russia agreed on a partial ceasefire on attacks against energy infrastructure and in the Black Sea last week. However, Ukraine has already accused Russia of violating the energy ceasefire.
