The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has visited the site of a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, that killed 19 civilians, including nine children, on April 4.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) described it as the deadliest single attack on children since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
A statement published by the OHCHR on April 6 confirmed that UN officials documented widespread damage from the strike, including shrapnel impact on residential buildings, a park, trees, and playground equipment.
The mission verified and recorded the names of all nine children who were killed.
“A Single Explosion Ended 18 Lives”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who visited the site, called the attack “an unimaginable horror.”
“Nine children killed, most while playing in a park, as a military weapon exploded into shrapnel above them,” Türk said.
“A single explosion ended 18 lives on a warm Friday evening in Kryvyi Rih, as families gathered near a playground, a restaurant, and residential buildings,” he added.
He described the use of an explosive weapon with wide-area effects in a populated zone, without any visible military target, as showing “reckless disregard for civilian life.”
No Military Presence Found at the Site
The Russian government claimed the strike targeted military personnel, but witnesses, local residents, and staff at a nearby restaurant told the UN that no soldiers were present.
Instead, a publicly advertised beauty industry forum was taking place at the time of the explosion, attended by dozens of civilians.
Türk emphasized that international humanitarian law requires parties in conflict to distinguish between civilians and military targets, and to use methods of attack that reduce the risk to civilian life.
“The laws of armed war require parties to verify that the objects targeted are military and to take all feasible precautions to avoid or minimize civilian harm,” he said.
The UN is still gathering and checking information about the incident, including the number of injured.
According to local authorities, dozens of people remain hospitalized, including two children in critical condition.
