Zelenskyy's hometown witnesses deadliest Russian attack killing 18 amid peace talks

Updated: Apr 5, 2025, 10:00 IST

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Russian strike kills 18, including 9 kids after hit near playground

A Russian ballistic missile struck a residential area in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, killing 18 people — including nine children — and injuring over two dozen others. The missile hit near a children's playground, adding to the tragedy, officials said. (Image credit: AP)

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'Kind of pain you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy'

The Ukrainian authorities reacted to this saying, "This is the kind of pain you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy." (Image credit: AP)

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'Every Russian promise ends with missiles'

Condemning Russia for the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "These strikes cannot be accidental – the Russians know exactly what they’re hitting. They know these are energy facilities that should be protected from attacks under what Russia itself promised to the American side. Every Russian promise ends with missiles or drones, bombs or artillery. Diplomacy means nothing to them." (Image credit: AP)

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'Ceasefire could have been reached by now'

Zelenskyy accused Russia of treating diplomacy as meaningless, asserting that a ceasefire was within reach but has been consistently rejected by Russian President Putin. "A ceasefire could have already been reached – it is Putin who rejects it, it is Moscow that has refused a ceasefire since March 11. It is they, in Russia, who want this war. And it’s obvious that Russia won’t be forced into peace just by talks or expectations," he said. (Image credit: AP)

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'Documenting the consequences of Russia's war crime'

Ukrainian authorities said that they were documenting the "consequences of Russia's war crime", which also left over 60 injured. "The police are documenting the consequences of Russia's war crime and accepting statements from the victims," interior minister Igor Klymenko added. (Image credit: AP)

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'Precision strike with high-explosive missile at restaurant'

Russia's defence ministry claimed it carried out a targeted strike using a high-explosive missile on a restaurant in the city, alleging that the location was being used for a meeting between military commanders and Western instructors. It said that 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". (Image credit: AP)