Russian Attack Kills 19 People In President Zelenskyy's Hometown

The impact of the Russian attack on Ukraine/DOK PHOTO via Instagram @zelenskyy_official

JAKARTA - Russian attacks killed 19 people including nine children in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih. But the Russian Defense Ministry said the attack targeted a military meeting there.

The Ukrainian military denounced Russia's statement as misinformation.

Serhiy Lysak, governor of the area, said the missile hit residential areas, killed 18 people, and sparked a fire.

Meanwhile, Russian drones attacked homes and killed one person.

The uploaded photos show the bodies of the dead and injured lying on the sidewalk while gray smoke billowing into the sky.

Russia's Ministry of Defense said a high-precision attack had targeted a "meeting of Western unit commanders and instructors" at restaurants.

"As a result of the attack, the total enemy losses reached 85 soldiers and foreign state officers, as well as up to 20 vehicles," the ministry said on Telegram.

Rescue workers worked hard all night with flashlights at Kryvyi Rih, moving destroyed cars, buildings with broken windows, and gaping holes. Residents carried a pile of aluminum foils and wood for repairing emergency houses, according to a Reuters witness.

Using their phones as lighting, some people register at aid centers.

"There were children who died lying there, parents crying, it was terrible," Yulia, 47, told Reuters as she checked the damaged curtains, equipment and furniture in her apartment.

The attack on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown was one of the deadliest attacks in Moscow this year in the conflict, which was launched in conjunction with the Kremlin's massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.