Zelensky says 3-year-old among dead after Russian strike

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has released more details about the children killed in a Russian airstrike on his home city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday.

The 3-year-old Tymofij, 7-year-old Arina and 9-year-old Herman were among the nine children killed in the Russian strike, Zelensky wrote on X on Saturday.

Nine adults were also killed when a Russian ballistic missile hit the south-eastern city of Kryvyi Rih, followed by a drone attack, Zelensky said.

Previous reports spoke of 16 people killed in the attacks.

Zelensky said the strike hit an ordinary street in a residential area with a playground, shops and a restaurant. He said 62 people were injured, including 12 children, and that some were still in a critical condition.

The Ukrainian president thanked foreign ministers and embassies that had offered condolences after Friday's attack. However, he said the response from the US embassy was "surprisingly disappointing."

"They are even afraid to say the word 'Russian' when talking about the missile that killed children," Zelensky wrote.

In a post on X, the US ambassador to Kiev, Bridget Brink, expressed horror at the fact that "a ballistic missile struck near a playground and restaurant in Kryvyi Rih."

Moscow has confirmed the attack, but spoke of a "high-precision strike," which it said hit Ukrainian commanders and their Western instructors. In a Telegram post, the Ukrainian General Staff in Kiev described the Russian claim as a lie.

Images of the scene of the attack published by the Ukrainian side showed no evidence of any military targets.