Russia launched a deadly missile assault on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown Wednesday — just hours after Kyiv agreed to a US-proposed cease-fire with Moscow.
The overnight attack on Kryvyi Rih killed a 47-year-old woman and injured at least nine others, while damaging high-rise apartment buildings, an infrastructure facility, a shop and an educational facility, Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Serhiy Lysak said.
Zelensky’s hometown has been a frequent target ever since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
The overnight assault came just hours after the Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid for Ukraine’s fight against Russia — and Ukrainian officials signaled they were open to a 30-day cease-fire.
“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day cease-fire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” the two nations announced in a joint statement.
“The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would take the offer to Russia and that the ball is in Moscow’s court.
Still, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday it’s important not to “get ahead” of the question of responding to the 30-day cease-fire proposal.
He told reporters that Moscow is awaiting “detailed information” about it from the US and suggested Russia must get that before it can take a position.
Meanwhile, Russia also attacked the Black Sea port of Odesa with missiles and roughly 133 drones in an overnight onslaught.
The missile strike in Odesa killed four Syrians and wounded a Ukrainian and a Syrian citizen, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram.
The attack also damaged the Barbados-flagged vessel MJ Pina that was loading wheat for export to Algeria, as well as another vessel and grain storage facilities, Kuleba said.
An attack on the city of Dnipro also wounded one person and damaged infrastructure, enterprises and around 10 private homes, according to Ukrainian officials.
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