Matthias Schmale said he was outraged by reports of yet another Russian attack on the city, which is located in the Dnipro region.

“This attack follows a deeply disturbing pattern of repeated attacks on populated areas across Ukraine that continue to kill and maim civilians,” he said, noting that the country's second-largest city, Kharkiv, was “still reeling” from a massive attack the night before.

“The cost to families is unbearable. Civilians are protected under international humanitarian law. They are not a target,” he said.

Young lives lost

In response to the incident, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called for an immediate end to attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine.

“We are devastated by the horrific attack in Kryvyi Rih that reportedly killed at least nine children and injured many more, including one as young as three months old,” said UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Regina De Dominicis.

The missile reportedly struck a residential neighbourhood in the Saksahanskyi district in the early evening, when many families gathering ahead of the weekend, she said, adding that it landed near a playground, tearing through homes, schools and a restaurant.

“Among the scenes of devastation, parents were seen weeping, cradling the body of their dead son. No child should ever suffer such terror. No parent should ever endure such pain,” she said.

Stolen futures

UNICEF and partners are on the ground supporting affected families and coordinating with local authorities to deliver emergency assistance.

Ms. De Dominicis noted that more than 2,500 children have been killed or injured, and millions of young lives have been upended, since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

“Every child killed is a future stolen,” she remarked. “The brutal use of explosive weapons in populated areas and attacks on civilian facilities and infrastructure, which disproportionally harm children, must end.”