'Every Russian promise ends with missiles': Zelenskyy after strike kills 18, including 9 children, in his hometown

A Russian ballistic missile strike on Kryvyi Rih on Friday killed 18 people, including nine children, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The attack occurred in a residential area near a children's playground and wounded more than two dozen others, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city's military administration.

Kryvyi Rih, the home city of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was deliberately targeted, the president claimed, accusing Russia of disregarding ceasefire agreements.

“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,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

Rescue operations are currently underway in Kryvyi Rih following a Russian missile strike. As of now, 16 people are confirmed dead, including six children. In Kharkiv, rescue efforts continued all day after a targeted Russian drone strike. A deliberate attack by six “Shahed”… pic.twitter.com/7TbgHQYfEI

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 4, 2025

Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the strike, stating it had "delivered a precision strike with a high-explosive missile at a restaurant" in the city "where commanders of formations and Western instructors were meeting."

Videos circulating on social media showed bodies lying on a street and a plume of smoke rising in the aftermath of the blast; however, these remain unverified.

Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak also condemned the strike.

“Eighteen... that is how many people were killed by the Russians when they launched a missile at Kryvyi Rih. Among them were nine children,” Lysak said on Telegram.

“This is the kind of pain you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy,” he added. Lysak further confirmed that 61 people were injured in the attack, including 12 children.

President Zelenskyy said the attack was further proof that Russia had no interest in halting its full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022.

“There is only one reason why this continues — Russia does not want a ceasefire, and we see it. The whole world sees it,” he said.

In his evening address, Zelenskyy accused Russia of treating diplomacy as an “empty word.”

“A ceasefire could have been reached by now, and it is Putin who rejects it,” he said.

Interior minister Ihor Klymenko said five apartment buildings were damaged in the missile strike.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire in March. The Kremlin has meanwhile made any potential truce in the Black Sea contingent on the West lifting certain sanctions.

US President Donald Trump has called for a quick end to the war since taking office in January, but his administration has not yet been able to secure a ceasefire despite talks with both sides.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said earlier on Friday that Trump was not “going to fall into the trap of endless negotiations” with Russia over the invasion.

“We will know soon enough, in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not,” Rubio added.