A day before the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia launched a missile attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The attack was part of the biggest ever drone attack on Ukraine, with Russian troops reportedly firing 267 Shahed drones at targets across the country.
The head of the city’s Defence Council, Oleksandr Vilkul, reported the attack on Kryvyi Rih killed one civilian and left five others wounded.
The strike heavily damaged the city’s civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, a church, a social institution, and a gas station.
Three people remain in the hospital, with one patient in serious condition.
Home to around 660,000 residents, Kryvyi Rih is the second-largest city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a province in central Ukraine.
The city is Ukraine’s most important industrial region, with the closest front-line area roughly 70 kilometers northwest of the city.
Reacting to the bombardment, Zelenskyy wrote on X: “Every day, our people stand against aerial terror.
“I thank everyone who repels such attacks on a daily basis – our aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and Defense Forces.
“We need to do our best to bring a lasting and just peace to Ukraine. This is possible in the unity of all partners – we need the strength of all of Europe, the strength of America, the strength of everyone who wants a lasting peace.”
Since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kryvyi Rih has been the target of frequent Russian bombardment.
In January, a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih killed four people.
