Russia's strike on Kryvyi Rih was the largest in terms of the number of children killed since February 2022

Kryvyi Rih has declared three days of mourning following the massive attack on 4 April. Photo: MNSDNE

Russia's attack on Kryvyi Rih on 4 April was the largest number of children killed in a single strike since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This was reported by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

The shelling killed 18 people, including nine children, most of whom were on the playground at the time of the explosion.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine confirmed the extent of the destruction and identified the children who died. The mission team, which visited the site of the attack the next day, recorded traces of debris on buildings, children's slides and trees.

«The horror is unimaginable — nine children were killed, most while playing in the park when a military munition exploded with shrapnel right above them. A single explosion ended 18 lives on a warm Friday evening in Kryvyi Rih as families relaxed near a playground, restaurant and residential buildings,» said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

He added that the attack demonstrated a complete disregard for civilian life.

According to local authorities, the rocket explosion occurred shortly before 19:00, killing 18 people and injuring 75 others, including 12 children. All witnesses to the attack confirmed that there was no military presence in the nearby restaurant at the time of the attack.

Volker Türk stressed that such an attack is a violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits indiscriminate attacks, and called for a prompt investigation into the incident.