At least 10 killed by missile attack on Kryvyi Rih Russia targets Zelensky’s hometown just a day after Putin called strikes on residential areas ‘pointless’

At least 10 people have died as a result of a Russian missile strike on an apartment building in Kryvyi Rih, according to Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul.

The attack injured at least 28 people, 12 of whom have been hospitalized. Rescue operations are still ongoing; according to local authorities, at least one person is still trapped under the debris.

The strike on Kryvyi Rih occurred on June 13. According to Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak, Russia launched multiple cruise missiles at the city and Ukrainian air defense forces managed to down three of them. Oleksandr Vilkul reported that in addition to the apartment building, the missiles hit a warehouse, an automobile enterprise, a rescue squad unit, and one other facility.

The local authorities have declared June 14 a day of mourning for the victims of the attack.

On Monday, before the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin, commenting on the shelling of a Donetsk trauma center in late April that Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out, said that striking residential areas is “pointless”:

The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the attack on Kryvyi Rih. In the past, Russian strikes on Ukrainian residential buildings have often been followed by official statements from the Russian Defense Ministry that “military” targets were successfully hit with “high-precision weapons.”

Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Commenting on Monday night’s strike, he said that “the Russian murderers are continuing their war against residential buildings, ordinary cities and people,” and vowed that they will “be held accountable for every missile they launch.”