DISINFO: Ukrainian commanders and Western instructors were hit in Kryvyi Rih
SUMMARY
The Russian Armed Forces target only military and paramilitary sites in Ukraine. They do not strike social infrastructure. In Kryvyi Rih, an attack was launched on the location where a meeting of Ukrainian commanders and Western instructors was being held.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that the Russian Armed Forces do not violate the laws of war. This false claim was made in the context of a deadly missile attack, launched on the eastern Ukrainian city Kryvyi Rih on 4 April 2025, and in the broader context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At least 20 people including 9 children were killed and 75 were wounded in the attack on Kryvyi Rih. The missile exploded near a playing ground. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk expressed shock at the Russian missile attack, calling it “an unimaginable horror”.
Several European leaders condemned Russia's deadly attack on Kryvyi Rih, and HRVP Kaja Kallas wrote on X: “Russia continues to destroy Ukraine, no interest in peace.” UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Regina De Dominicis said she was “devastated by the horrific attack in Kryvyi Rih.” Also, Russia launched a missile attack on Kyiv on 6 April 2025, hitting several civilian objects.
There have been numerous documented instances where Russian forces have intentionally targeted civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including residential areas, hospitals, schools, power plants, railway stations, kindergartens, shopping malls and other civilian facilities. These actions are in violation of international law, particularly the Geneva Conventions.
One of the most brutal instances of attacks on civilian facilities was the bombing of a theatre in the centre of Mariupol on 16 March 2022, where hundreds of residents, including children, were sheltering. In front of the theatre, a warning had been painted in large letters on the asphalt, indicating that children were inside the building. Nonetheless, the theatre was destroyed in an air raid. Russian troops also committed atrocities in Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka and other towns and villages outside Kyiv in 2022, as well as the Kharkiv and the Kherson regions.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih only hurt Ukrainian army and NATO officers, that Russia did not attack a children's hospital in Kyiv but only military facilities and air bases, and that Russia never attacks civilian targets.