“I’m begging you, save my son”: father screams in despair as Russian missile kills 9 kids in Ukraine

A Russian Iskander missile with cluster munitions struck a residential area in Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine, on 4 April, killing 19 people, including 9 children, and injuring over 60 residents from a three-month-old child to elderly people.

Hours later, a follow-up drone attack killed one more person and wounded seven others.

This comes as the US under Trump is attempting to mediate a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine agreed to a US-proposed 30-day full ceasefire, but Russia only partially complied, claiming to have paused attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Military Administration, stated that Russian forces used an air-burst missile technique designed to maximize casualties.

The attack damaged 34 apartment buildings, six educational institutions, shops, a restaurant, and more than 30 vehicles. Emergency crews worked through the night to extinguish fires and clear debris. Some buildings have no electricity or gas supply – restoration work is ongoing.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces executed a precise strike targeting a gathering of Ukrainian Armed Forces commanders and Western military advisors at a restaurant in Kryvyi Rih. According to their statement, the attack allegedly killed up to 85 Ukrainian military personnel and foreign officers, while destroying approximately 20 vehicles. The evidence, however, shows that their missile fell on a children’s playground.

Local resident Nina, 76, described to Suspilne News how she survived while her friend did not.

“There was an explosion and I shouted: ‘Get down!’ She lay down to the right, and I to the left. I survived, but she died. She didn’t even have time to say a word,” Nina told Suspilne correspondents.

Another resident, Volodymyr, suffered bruised ribs, arms, and a concussion.

“If I had been two steps back, near the window, I would no longer be here,” he said, noting that children regularly played on the playground that was hit.

Three-year-old Tymofii didn’t survive the Russian strike while walking home from the playground with his grandmother, according to Svoi Kryvyi Rih.

His mother, who was at home, immediately rushed outside.

“It was horror there,” she said.

Tymofii’s mother described him as an energetic child with a keen interest in space and rockets. He also enjoyed collecting ladybugs and beetles.

Anna was also at home during the attack, Suspilne reports. According to her, she was saved by having two double-glazed windows on her balcony, which contained the blast wave.

“I was panicking, screaming alone in my apartment. My friends led me out. I saw a column of smoke and people screaming for help. It was very frightening,” Anna said.

Local resident Mykola stepped out of the kitchen into the hallway seconds before the explosion:

“At the moment of the explosion, I was in the hallway. I had just gone there a second before the explosion. I saw the door flying past me. Later, I saw that the loggia was pierced by shrapnel. In the room, pieces of concrete were knocked right out of the wall,” Mykola shared.

Drone attack later that night

Late that same night, after 11 p.m., Russian forces launched a drone attack on the city. A 56-year-old woman died when her private home was hit and burned down.

The drone strikes damaged eight high-rise buildings, 14 vehicles, and an industrial facility. Playgrounds and tram tracks were also affected.

Vira, a resident affected by the drone attack, described sheltering with her children: “We were in the bedroom, ran to the hallway. The children were frightened, didn’t sleep all night.”

According to Serhiy Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, 40 injured residents remain hospitalized, including 17 in serious condition. Two children, ages 5 and 8, were transferred to Mechnikov Hospital in Dnipro in critical condition.

“People are mourning their dead relatives. Parents despairingly bent over the bodies of children. The blood of peaceful residents is on the street. The blood that Russian war criminals can never wash away,” Lysak wrote. 

City officials established assistance centers at both attack sites to distribute building materials and process applications for financial aid.

On 5 April, people started bringing flowers and toys to the site of the missile strike.