A burnt-out car after a deadly Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih in south-central Ukraine, April 4, 2025

EA-Times Radio VideoCast: Defying Ceasefire Talks, Russia Demands Ukraine’s Capitulation

Saturday’s Coverage: Russia Murders 19, Including 9 Children, in Zelensky’s Hometown Kryvyi Rih

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 0941 GMT:

Of the 12 children injured in Friday’s Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih in south-central Ukraine, four are still in serious condition, including two in “extremely serious condition”.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has denounced Russia’s murders of civilians, even amid talks for a ceasefire to halt Moscow’s 37-month invasion.

Zelensky spoke after the toll from Friday’s Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih, his hometown in south-central Ukraine, rose to at least 18 killed — including nine children — and 75 wounded. More than 30 people, including a three-month-old baby and 11 other children, were hospitalized.

Russia must be held accountable for everything it has done. There must be real pressure—without wasting time on empty talk — to finally end this war.

Leaders from around the world criticized the Russian strike, which hit a playground and residential buildings. The European Union’s foreign policy head Kaja Kallas posted, posted, “Another reckless Russian attack struck a crowded residential area….Russia continues to destroy Ukraine [with] no interest in peace.”

Zelensky said, in his nightly video address to the nation:

Many around the world voiced their position in response to this strike — a clear rejection of Russian terror. To everyone who sees this and does not close their eyes, who speaks the truth clearly and directly — not only we in Ukraine, but the entire world should be grateful. Staying silent about the fact that it is Russia killing children with ballistic missiles is wrong and dangerous. It only emboldens the scum in Moscow to continue the war and keep ignoring diplomacy.

One of those who was silent, Zelensky noted earlier in the day, was the US Embassy in Kyiv. Ambassador Bridget Brink expressed regret but refused to name Russia as the perpetrator.

Zelensky responded, “Yes, the war must end. But to end it, we must not be afraid to call things by their names.”

He summarized in his nightly address, “All Russian promises end with missiles, drones, bombs or artillery. Diplomacy means nothing to them.”

On Saturday morning, the Russians launched several missiles on Kyiv, injuring three at least three civilians. Businesses, office buildings, and a warehouse have been damaged or set on fire.

Drone attacks set residential buildings ablaze in Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine.