Zelenskyy condemns 'weak' reaction of U.S. ambassador after deadly Russian missile strike

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 05, 2025 10:17 AM EDT | Last Updated: 22 minutes ago

The decease toll from a Russian rocket onslaught successful the cardinal Ukrainian metropolis of Kryvyi Rih has risen to 18, including 9 children, determination politician Serhii Lysak said Saturday.

Another 61 radical were injured successful Friday's attack, ranging from a three-month-old babe to aged residents. Forty radical stay hospitalized, including 2 children successful captious information and 17 successful superior condition.

"There tin ne'er beryllium forgiveness for this," said Oleksandr Vilkul, caput of the city's defence council. "Eternal representation to the victims."

Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"The rocket struck an country close adjacent to residential buildings — hitting a playground and mean streets," Zelenskyy wrote connected Telegram.

Local authorities said the onslaught damaged astir 20 flat buildings, much than 30 vehicles, an acquisition gathering and a restaurant.

The Russian Defence Ministry claimed Friday that it had carried retired a high-precision rocket onslaught with a precocious explosive warhead connected a edifice wherever a gathering with portion commanders and Western instructors was taking place.

Russian subject claimed that the onslaught killed 85 subject unit and overseas officers and destroyed 20 vehicles. The military's claims could not beryllium independently verified. The Ukrainian General Staff rejected the claims.

A aboriginal drone onslaught connected Kryvyi Rih killed 1 pistillate and wounded 7 different people.

'Russia wants lone war'

Zelenskyy blamed the regular strikes connected Russia's unwillingness to extremity the war. "Every missile, each drone onslaught proves Russia wants lone war," helium said, urging Ukraine's allies to summation unit connected Moscow and bolster Ukraine's aerial defences.

The Ukrainian president besides criticized the effect of the U.S. Embassy successful Kyiv to the strike. Ambassador Bridget A. Brink posted connected societal media Friday that she was "horrified" by the onslaught successful Kryvyi Rih. "More than 50 radical injured and 16 killed, including 6 children. This is wherefore the warfare indispensable end," the station said.

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Zelenskyy, who has truthful acold had a strained narration with U.S. President Donald Trump, described the station arsenic "unpleasantly surprising" for not straight naming Russia arsenic the perpetrator of the attack.

"Such a beardown country, specified a beardown radical — and specified a anemic reaction. They are adjacent acrophobic to accidental the connection 'Russian' erstwhile talking astir the rocket that killed children," helium said successful a station that besides praised countries including Japan, Britain, Switzerland and Germany for their "principled statements."

"Yes, the warfare indispensable end. But successful bid to extremity it, we indispensable not beryllium acrophobic to telephone a spade a spade," helium said.

Russian forces launched 92 drones into Ukraine overnight, with 51 changeable down by aerial defences, the Ukrainian aerial unit wrote connected societal media Saturday. A further 31 decoy drones besides failed to scope their targets, it said.

Elsewhere, 1 idiosyncratic died Saturday successful the Russian-occupied municipality of Horlivka successful Ukraine's Donetsk portion owed to shelling, Moscow-installed Gov. Denis Pushilin said. Security officials told Russian authorities quality channels that they had destroyed 28 Ukrainian drones implicit the Donetsk portion overnight, marking the archetypal clip that the occupied territory had been targeted by specified long-range strikes.