Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday criticised the United States Embassy in Ukraine for what he described as a “weak” response to a Russian missile strike that killed at least 18 people, including nine children, in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih. According to news agency AFP, the missile struck a residential area in central Ukraine on Friday evening, leaving 62 others wounded.
Zelenskyy expressed disappointment over the embassy’s reaction, accusing it of avoiding mention of Russia as the perpetrator.
“The reaction of the US Embassy is unpleasantly surprising,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “Such a strong country, such a strong people – and such a weak reaction. They are even afraid to say the word ‘Russian’ when talking about the missile that killed the children.”
Tragically, three-year-old Tymofii died in the hospital today. Seven-year-old Radyslav. Arina, who will forever be seven as well. Nine-year-old Herman. Fifteen-year-old Danylo. Fifteen-year-old Mykyta. Fifteen-year-old Alina. Kostiantyn, who will forever be sixteen. Nikita –… pic.twitter.com/3jz4XS0YgI
— Volodymyr Zelenskyyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyyUa) April 5, 2025
US Ambassador Bridget Brink had posted on Friday night when the full toll had yet to be confirmed: “Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in (Kryvyi Rih). More than 50 people injured and 16 killed, including 6 children. This is why the war must end.”
Brink, appointed by then-President Joe Biden in May 2022, has faced criticism online for omitting any reference to Russia in her statement. In recent posts on X, she has reportedly refrained from directly naming Russia while addressing attacks on Ukraine — a shift noted since mid-February, following a tense exchange between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a munitions plant in Russia’s Samara region early Saturday, as reported by Kyiv Post.
Russian Strike In Kryvyi Rih Among Deadliest This Year
According to news agency Reuters, the Russian strike in Kryvyi Rih was among the deadliest this year. Serhiy Lysak, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region, confirmed via Telegram that the missile hit residential areas, sparking fires and killing 18. Another drone strike later in the night reportedly killed one person, city military administrator Oleksandr Vilkul said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry, in a statement on Telegram, claimed that its “high-precision strike” targeted “a meeting of unit commanders and Western instructors” at a restaurant, alleging that up to 85 servicemen and officers, along with 20 vehicles, were destroyed. The Ukrainian military dismissed the claim as misinformation.
Rescue workers laboured through the night, navigating damaged buildings, shattered windows, and a crater left by the explosion. Locals carried foil and timber to patch up their homes, Reuters reported. One eyewitness, Yulia, 47, told the agency: “There were dead children lying there, crying parents, it was horrible.”
Emergency services stated that more than 50 people were wounded, with over 30, including a three-month-old baby, hospitalised. Pictures posted online showed bodies lying on the pavement and plumes of grey smoke rising over the city.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy reiterated calls for increased Western pressure on Moscow. In his nightly address, he said the attack showed that Russia “is in no way seeking peace, but rather intends to continue its invasion and war to destroy Ukraine and all Ukrainians.”
The General Staff of Ukraine’s military echoed this sentiment, asserting that the missile strike showed Russia’s continued aggression. Zelenskyy also accused Russia of launching a drone strike on a thermal power plant in the southern city of Kherson on the same day.
Despite an agreement between the US, Russia, and Ukraine to halt strikes on energy infrastructure — part of efforts led by President Trump to broker a partial ceasefire — both sides have accused each other of violations. Russia claimed that Ukraine targeted its energy facilities six times within 24 hours on Friday.
