Russian attack kills three in Ukraine's Kryvyi Rih, official says

June 23 – A Russian missile attack killed three people in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday, accusing Russia of hitting a civilian area with cluster munitions.

Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city’s defence council, said on Telegram that 25 people had also been injured in the attack by a ballistic missile with a cluster munition warhead.

“People died within 200 meters of each other because of this barbaric weapon,” Vilkul said, adding the city would mark a day of mourning on Wednesday.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is a native of Kryvyi Rih, reacted to the strike by calling for more international pressure on Russia to end the war and quicker supplies of air defence munitions to Ukraine.

“Every delay in implementing air defence agreements, every delay in supplies to protect Ukraine and Ukrainians is in effect a loss of life,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram.

Ukraine has regularly accused Russia of attacking cities with cluster munitions, which scatter over a wide area. Russia says it does not target civilians, although thousands have been killed during the war.

Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported earlier that a Russian missile attack damaged industrial infrastructure in the city, without giving more detail. REUTERS