On 7 March, Ukraine has initiated an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting following a Russian 4 April missile strike on Kryvyi Rih that killed 20 civilians, including 9 children.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, the strike represented “the largest number of Ukrainian kids killed in a single attack since 2022.” Sybiha noted on Twitter that “Russia targeted playgrounds in an ordinary residential area with a cluster warhead to maximize casualties.“
Ukraine has additionally called for a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council “to bring Russian crimes to the forefront,” Sybiha said. Both meetings were scheduled for the following day to “help advance peace efforts and accountability.“
“A robust international response to Russian atrocities is critical. Such terror should never be normalized. We call for both strong condemnation and firm action,” the Ukrainian Foreign Minister wrote, adding that “Russia must cease its terror against Ukrainian children and civilians, respond to US full ceasefire proposal, which Ukraine has accepted, and end the war.”
The Russian attack and its victims
The Russian strike occurred around 18:50 on 4 April 2025 when an Iskander missile with cluster munitions hit the center of a residential district in Kryvyi Rih. In addition to the 20 fatalities, over 70 residents were wounded.
The attack damaged nearly twenty apartment buildings, six educational institutions, a restaurant, and more than 30 vehicles, according to local reports.
Russia has claimed that the target of the strike was “a meeting venue with unit commanders and Western instructors at one of the restaurants,” according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
However, CCTV footage from the time of the strike, published by Current Time TV and France24, showed no military personnel either inside or near the restaurant that Russian milbloggers had identified as a possible meeting venue for Ukrainian military.
Kryvyi Rih declared three days of mourning until 9 April for those killed in the attack. On 7 April, the city bid farewell to ten residents, including four children – 9-year-old Herman Tripolets, 7-year-old Radislav Yatsko, and 15-year-olds Alina Kutsenko and Danylo Nikitskyi.
On 8 April, funeral services were held for 7-year-old Arina Samodina and her grandfather Serhii, who were killed while at a playground. Serhii was with his two grandchildren when the strike occurred. Arina and Serhii died at the scene, while her 4-year-old brother was hospitalized in serious condition.
Related:
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- French President: While we seek ways for peace, Russia continues to disregard civilian lives
- US Ambassador to Ukraine suddenly remembers who’s firing the missiles (when they hit Kyiv)
- Ukraine intercepts just 1 of 6 Russian ballistic missiles near Kyiv as air defense catch rate drops below 50%
- UN: Kryvyi Rih strike is Russian deadliest attack on Ukrainian children since war began
- “Weakness never ended wars”: Zelensky demands real pressure on Russia over missile attack