Ukraine has initiated an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council after last week’s Russian missile strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih that killed 20 civilians, the foreign minister says.
“A robust international response to Russian atrocities is critical. Such terror should never be normalized. We call for both strong condemnation and firm action,” Andrii Sybiha said on X.
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 Russia used cluster munitions.
Kryvyi Rih held vigils on Monday that began three days of mourning for 11 adults and nine children killed in the attack.
Local clergymen 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 years old.
Thirty-three other people, including four children, are still being treated in hospital.
#Ukraine: @volker_turk shocked by #Russia’s attack on Kryvyi Rih. Among 18 killed were 9 children, most of whom were playing in a park. @UNHumanRightsUA team visited site & heard of unimaginable horror. Prompt, thorough & independent probe is needed.https://t.co/paD7wd2TLs pic.twitter.com/bKQZlSSK5z— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) April 6, 2025
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.
Russian authorities stated 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 Ukraine 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.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday reaffirmed Russia’s interest in further negotiations with the United States but reiterated conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
So far, there is no date for further talks between Russia and the United States but the door is open, Russian news agencies quoted Peskov as saying.
Peskov made clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin supports the idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine but that a number of unresolved issues would need to be addressed beforehand.
Russia has repeatedly set preconditions for negotiations on a ceasefire.
These include the demilitarisation of Ukraine.
According to media reports, US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Putin at the end of March for not being serious enough about a cessation of hostilities following initial talks.
At last week’s NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump would no longer tolerate the delaying tactics of the Russian president.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and daily missile and drone attacks continue along with the ground war.
with DPA
https://thewest.com.au/news/conflict/ukraine-seeks-united-nations-meeting-on-russian-strike-c-18297659
