On Friday, Russian forces used nearly eighty missiles in a massive strike against Ukraine, killing dozens of civilians and destroying critical infrastructure. A Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian president’s home town of Kryvyi Rih that killed at least 16 people, including 6 children. The timing of this attack is significant, as it came just a day after a drone strike on a power plant in Kherson intensifying the conflict in the area.
The missile that hit Kryvyi Rih directly targeted the space right next to apartment buildings. Eyewitness accounts indicated that the missile hit close to a children’s playground and ordinary streets, raising concerns about civilian safety. In all, more than 200 people were injured in these two bombings.
In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the strikes, offering his condolences to the families of those killed. He emphasized the gravity of these attacks, stating, “Many injured, houses damaged. The missile actually hit the area next to residential buildings – a children’s playground, ordinary streets.” He further asserted that “such strikes cannot be a coincidence – Russians know that this is an energy facility,” reinforcing the notion that these assaults are deliberate.
The Russian Ministry of Defense described the attack in Kryvyi Rih as a “high-precision strike… with a high-explosive missile on the site of a meeting with unit commanders and Western instructors in one of the restaurants in the city.” This assertion has understandably raised doubts from Ukrainian officials who highlight the importance of protecting civilian infrastructure.
President Zelensky pointed out that, according to prior agreements made with the American side, “these types of facilities must be protected from any attacks.” His comments underline the very serious issues for military-to-military international agreements and Russia’s compliance with them.
The attack on the power plant in Kherson was just as worrisome. The attack has been condemned by many as it reportedly targeted critical energy infrastructure, worsening an already terrible humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Attacks on energy facilities, like the one in human rights law, have almost universally been condemned because of their direct implications on civilian life.
