Missile strike on Kryvyi Rih kills at least three, wounds 23, local authorities say

At least three people were killed and 23 more wounded after a missile strike hit the city of Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region on the morning of June 23, local authorities reported. The Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration said Russian forces carried out the strike and that civilian industrial infrastructure was damaged, although it did not name a specific facility hit.

The regional administration said the attack occurred on the morning of June 23. Officials reported that among the 23 wounded, several are in serious condition and receiving treatment. Authorities did not provide further details about the identities of the victims or the precise nature of the industrial infrastructure affected.

The strike is the latest in a series of attacks across Ukraine that have caused civilian casualties and damaged civilian infrastructure. Russian authorities, officials and state media commonly deny that strikes are aimed deliberately at civilian targets. The report noted this pattern, stating in Georgian: "რუსეთი, როგორც წესი, უარყოფს უკრაინის სამოქალაქო ობიექტებზე მიზანმიმართულ დარტყმებს. უკრაინა და საერთაშორისო ორგანიზაციები სამოქალაქო ობიექტებზე შეტევებს ომის დანაშაულად აფასებენ." That passage reflects repeated claims by Ukraine and international organizations that strikes on civilian objects can amount to war crimes.

Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city in central-eastern Ukraine within the Dnipropetrovsk region, has been periodically targeted during the conflict, which has seen periodic missile and rocket attacks on urban and industrial areas. Damage to factories, warehouses and other civilian infrastructure has had broader humanitarian and economic consequences in areas across Ukraine.

The Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, which is responsible for coordinating civil-military response and reporting on security incidents in the region, issued the casualty figures and damage assessment. It withheld naming the specific site struck; local officials typically provide more detailed information as rescue and damage assessments are completed.

International human rights bodies and governments have repeatedly warned that indiscriminate or intentionally targeted attacks on civilian objects violate the laws of armed conflict. Ukraine and a number of international organizations have labelled such attacks as potential war crimes, and have called for investigations and accountability. Russia has in many cases rejected accusations that its forces are deliberately striking civilian infrastructure.

The strike in Kryvyi Rih follows a broader pattern of violence with far-reaching implications for civilian protection, reconstruction needs and accountability efforts. Humanitarian and rights-focused groups continue to monitor attacks that cause civilian casualties, press for access to affected areas, and call for transparent investigations. Authorities in the region said emergency services responded to the scene and that medical facilities were treating the wounded, some of whom remain in serious condition.

This account is based on the report from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and statements from the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration. Further details may emerge as local authorities complete rescue and damage assessments and provide updates on casualties and the condition of those injured.