Rising toll in Kryvyi Rih as US envoy sidesteps blame

• Assault on Kryvyi Rih: On 4th April, the Russian army launched a missile strike on a residential area in Kryvyi Rih, resulting in the deaths of 19 people, including nine children, and injuring more than 60.
• International reaction: The US Ambassador, Bridget Brink, expressed her outrage but did not directly attribute the attack to Russia.
• Subsequent assault: Later that same evening, another attack took place, causing a fire in the private sector and leading to further casualties and injuries.

"Horrified that tonight a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in Kryvyi Rih. More than 50 people injured and 16 killed, including 6 children. This is why the war must end," wrote the US Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink. "Ukrainian Pravda" observed that Brink did not specify in her statement that the missile or the attack was Russian.

According to social media users, a Russian ballistic missile impacted a restaurant in a residential area. As per AFP reports, a playground was nearby. The head of the government's Center for Combating Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, stated that the Russians most likely employed an Iskander missile.

The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that the target was a meeting point for Ukrainian soldiers and Western instructors. The government in Kyiv stressed that this is misinformation.

On Friday late evening, a new Russian assault occurred. A drone strike caused a residential house to catch fire, reported the Ukrainska Pravda portal, citing Serhiy Lysak, head of regional authorities. The AFP agency, also referring to Lysak, noted that a 56-year-old woman was killed in the raid, and seven people, including a three-month-old baby, were injured.