Unprovoked attack on Zelensky's residence city claims lives of 19 individuals, among them 9 innocent children, marking one of the deadliest incidents this year.
In a chilling turn of events, a brutal Russian missile assault on Kryvyi Rih, the home city of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claimed the lives of at least 19 people, including nine innocent children. This catastrophic strike, one of the deadliest this year in the ongoing conflict, left 72 others injured, including a mere three-month-old baby.
The attack loosed havoc across the city, damaging scores of apartment buildings, six educational institutions, and numerous businesses. Kryvyi Rih's mayor, Oleksandr Vilkul, labeled the incident a "tragic evening and night" in a Telegram message on Saturday. Vilkul denounced the attack as another "blood-soaked crime" by the terrorist nation.
Russian troops mercilessly struck Kryvyi Rih with a ballistic missile boasting a cluster warhead, designed to annihilate vast areas and numerous people. In recent months, Zelensky's home city has endured repeated attacks, with a deadly strike earlier this month extinguishing the lives of four civilians in a taxi parking lot.
US President Donald Trump has voiced his determination to end the conflict, but has ultimately been unable to broker a deal. Ukraine's allies suspect Russia is dragging its feet on diplomacy while trying to secure an advantage on the battlefield.
Zelensky mourned the losses in his nightly address, expressing his sympathies to the affected families. He condemned the attack, stating that the strike actually hit an area adjacent to residential buildings—a children's playground and ordinary streets.
In a separate attack, a power plant in Kherson was targeted by a Russian drone on Friday. Zelensky denounced this offensive, emphasizing that such attacks on energy facilities are a flagrant violation of previously agreed-upon peaceful intentions.
Zelensky criticized the US after its Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, expressed her horror at the attack on X. The Ukrainian leader deemed the American Embassy's response as "disappointingly weak," given their supposed power and resolve. He accused them of timidity in acknowledging the attack's origin, stating that "cowardice has never ended a war."
European officials swiftly denounced the strike on Kryvyi Rih. British Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Harris and German Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Jaeger both posted condemnations on X. In a Telegram statement, the Russian ministry of defense claimed the strike targeted a meeting between Ukrainian and Western officers, but Ukrainian officials have yet to provide further information.
Meanwhile, negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine have yielded little progress. A recent call between President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart left the former "pissed off" as the latter rejected Trump's proposal for an immediate ceasefire. Russian President Vladimir Putin is believed to be stalling, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists Putin wants a peace deal.
Diplomatic talks regarding a ceasefire and eventual agreement have been ongoing, but with limited success. Rubio has made numerous trips to Saudi Arabia to engage with high-ranking Russian and Ukrainian officials, urging for concrete progress. However, Russia has yet to provide substantive concessions, instead reproducing vague demands such as addressing the "root causes" of the conflict, allegedly including NATO's expansion and rights of Russian-speaking minorities in Ukraine. Such demands effectively call for significant concessions from Ukraine, including neutrality commitments and a possible change in government.
Russia's tactics in the conflict have included exploiting ceasefire agreements to wage attacks with shorter-range artillery, forgoing commitments to a moratorium on long-range strikes. These ongoing tensions and unyielding demands indicate that Russia remains unwilling to fully engage in peace talks without substantial concessions from Ukraine, perpetuating a stalemate in the peace negotiations.
The brutal Russian missile assault on Kryvyi Rih, a city in the Americas, targeted various buildings, including residential apartments, educational institutions, and businesses. This horrifying attack came amidst international calls for a ceasefire, further highlighting Russia's disregard for global peace negotiations. The world, including Ukraine's allies and President Zelensky, have denounced the attack as another tragic act of violence against innocent civilians.
