A central Ukrainian city held vigils on Monday that began three days of mourning for 11 adults and nine children killed by a Russian missile last week, as one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in months jeopardised Washington’s ceasefire push.
Friday evening’s strike on president Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s home city of Kryvyi Rih sprayed shrapnel across a dense residential area, including a playground. Ukraine’s military said Moscow used cluster munitions.
The sound of wailing echoed throughout the gilded interior of a cavernous Orthodox church as relatives wept over the coffin of nine-year-old Herman Tripolets, who had been playing on a swing when the missile struck.
“He really loved this life,” said his godmother, Inna. “He was just a ray of sunshine.”
Down the road, mourners flocked to a double funeral for Danylo Nikitskyi (15) and Alina Kutsenko, who were later buried side by side in matching white coffins.
Local clergymen also held a service at the playground where residents had crafted a makeshift memorial featuring toys and stuffed animals.
Funerals were scheduled throughout the day for other victims killed in the attack, whose ages ranged from three to 79. Thirty-three other people, including four children, are still being treated in hospital.
Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said the strike was the deadliest of the war on Kryvyi Rih, an industrial centre with a pre-war population of about 600,000 that is regularly targeted by Russian missiles and drones.
“Revenge will be inevitable, because this is a crime without a statute of limitations,” Mr Vilkul wrote on social media.
[ Death toll after Russian missile strike in central Ukraine reaches 18Opens in new window ]
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday that Kyiv had initiated an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council for “a robust international response to Russian atrocities”.
Images of bloodied and contorted bodies strewn across a courtyard have fuelled renewed public fury at Russia, which has killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Russia said without providing evidence that Friday’s strike had targeted a meeting of Ukrainian service members and foreign trainers and killed up to 85 of them, a claim rejected by Kyiv as disinformation.
Police bodycam footage, verified by Reuters, showed rescuers tending to terrified residents and crying children in the chaotic aftermath.
“The use of an explosive weapon with wide area effects by the Russian Federation in a densely populated area – and without any apparent military presence – demonstrates a reckless disregard for civilian life,” UN human rights chief Volker Türk said in a statement on Sunday.
“Even if the Russian authorities had had information that military personnel could be present, the mode and circumstances of attack may constitute an indiscriminate attack,” the UN rights office said.
[ Trump welcomes Ukraine’s willingness to sign minerals deal and talk peaceOpens in new window ]
US president Donald Trump has pledged to swiftly end the war, while reaching out to restore relations with Moscow after years in which the United States firmly backed Kyiv.
Russia rejected a US proposal last month for a full ceasefire that Kyiv had agreed to. The warring sides then agreed to a limited pause on attacks on energy infrastructure, which both accuse the other of violating.
White House officials are discussing the likelihood that Washington will be unable to secure a peace deal in the next few months.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said a team will travel to Washington this week to move forward with negotiations on a more expansive draft for a minerals deal offered by the United States.
The US administration wants Kyiv to agree to give it a huge stake in Ukraine’s future mineral income. Mr Trump sees it as a way to get back billions of aid for Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Kyiv is anxious to maintain the support of its ally but wary of signing away its future wealth. – Reuters
