A Russian Iskander ballistic missile hit the center of a residential neighborhood next to a children's playground in Kryvyi Rih on Friday evening. The missile strike was followed by a drone strike.

The attacks injured 72 people, including 12 children, said Serhiy Lyaks, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration.

Zelenskyy today criticized the US embassy for avoiding calling Russia an aggressor."Unfortunately, the reaction of the US embassy is unpleasantly surprising. Such a strong country, such a strong people, and such a weak reaction," Zelenskyy said.

"They are even afraid to say the word 'Russian' when talking about the missile that killed children," he added.

US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink wrote on the"X" platform on Friday evening that "a ballistic missile hit near a playground and restaurant tonight," adding that this is why the war must end.

Brink, who has been the US ambassador to Ukraine since May 2022, has not mentioned Russia in her recent posts on"X" when discussing the attacks in Ukraine, although she did so regularly until mid-February. Zelensky's visit to the White House in mid-February has seen her and US President Donald Trump in an open dispute.

"Yes, the war must end. But to end it, we must not be afraid to call things by their right names," the Ukrainian president emphasized today.