Conflict & Security
Ukraine buries Kryvyi Rig family killed in Russian strike
A funeral was held in central Ukraine on Monday for five members of the Voronov family killed when Ukrainian authorities said a Russian ballistic missile hit their home in Kryvyi Rig on July 30.
Ukrainian authorities said the house in President Volodymyr Zelensky's home city was struck by a direct hit from an Iskander missile. At least two adults and four children were killed, but the death toll could be higher because not all remains have been formally identified.
Five coffins were brought to a small church before several dozen mourners, an AFP journalist saw. Oksana Stretovych, a colleague of Olena Voronova, described the family as exceptionally kind and said she heard a powerful explosion on the night of the strike.
A local priest said the Voronov home was gone after the blast and that only flattened earth remained. Zelensky had previously said 10 members of the family were presumed dead and that the missile may have been supplied by North Korea. Ukraine's emergency services earlier said forensic examinations were continuing after body fragments were found.
The funeral took place as further strikes were reported on both sides of the war. Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said a new Russian attack near Kryvyi Rig killed three people, including an eight-year-old child, at a service station. Russian officials said Ukrainian strikes killed 11 people in Russia and Moscow-annexed Crimea on Monday.
The United Nations said in July it was concerned by an alarming rise in civilian casualties in Ukraine, driven by the growing use of powerful weapons in densely populated urban areas.
Update
A funeral was held Monday for five members of the family killed in the July 30 strike.
Ukrainian authorities said a direct hit by an Iskander ballistic missile struck the family's house in Kryvyi Rig.
At least two adults and four children were killed, but authorities said the toll could be higher because not all remains had been formally identified.
A new Russian attack near Kryvyi Rig killed three people, including an eight-year-old child, according to the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 August 2026 at 16:46:51 UTC.
Update
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the missile that destroyed the family home may have been supplied by North Korea.
Zelensky said examinations were still needed but that, as of now, Ukraine believed it was North Korean ballistic weaponry.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 17:58:53 UTC.
Update
A Ukrainian emergency services official said six members of the Voronov family were confirmed killed and four more were presumed dead after a missile destroyed their home outside Kryvyi Rig.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the presumed victims included seven children and a grandchild, with the youngest aged one and a half.
An emergency services official said forensic examinations were ongoing after 17 body fragments were found at the scene.
Local officials said three people were also killed across Kyiv, Poltava and Lviv.
Zelensky renewed calls for more air-defence equipment after the overnight barrage.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 15:45:09 UTC.
Update
The overnight attack included 284 drones in addition to 74 missiles.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 06:41:42 UTC.
Update
Russia launched 74 missiles at Ukraine overnight.
Eight people were killed in the overnight attack.
Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies to send more anti-ballistic missiles.
Zelensky said Ukraine faces a critical shortage of air defence missiles from partners.
Source note: AFP news report published on 30 July 2026 at 06:37:46 UTC.
Update
Zelensky said Russia had prepared a massive attack several days earlier and that there was a high probability it would be carried out overnight.
Zelensky urged people in all regions of Ukraine to pay attention to air raid alerts and stay safe.
Zelensky repeated his request for allies to supply missiles for Ukraine's air defence systems.
Zelensky spoke with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday about the possibility of Ukraine producing Patriot interceptors.
Source note: AFP news report published on 29 July 2026 at 20:11:27 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The final death toll from the July 30 strike remains unclear because not all remains have been formally identified.
The supplied information says Zelensky described the missile as possibly supplied by North Korea, but that origin is not established.
Source
AFP news report published on .