Russian terror tactics intensify as Iskander missiles hit Ukrainian civilians

Military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko has shared his opinion on the issue, Minval reports.

On April 4, the city of Kryvyi Rih, far from the front lines of Ukraine’s ongoing war, was struck by a Russian 9M723 Iskander ballistic missile equipped with a cluster warhead. The weapon obliterated a civilian district, including a playground where nine children and teenagers lost their lives. Dozens of others were injured in what Ukrainian officials and international observers are calling a deliberate, targeted attack on non-combatants.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the missile was aimed at a meeting of Ukrainian security officials inside a local restaurant. However, eyewitness accounts, independent analysis, and the nature of the weapon used strongly contradict that narrative. 

Cluster munitions like the one deployed are designed to scatter explosive submunitions over a wide area, making them deeply unsuitable for a high-precision strike on a single building. Instead, the blast tore through an entire residential block.

This is not an isolated incident. Similar strikes have occurred in cities like Odesa, where in April 2024, a Russian missile struck a public promenade, killing seven and wounding over thirty. 

Now, analysts warn that the use of these ballistic weapons is becoming systematic. The 9M723 missile has overtaken traditional cruise missiles in frequency of use, largely due to its speed and the limited effectiveness of Ukrainian air defenses against such threats. Russia, leveraging battlefield experience, has modernized these missiles with improved navigation and evasion capabilities, pushing past Western-supplied systems like Patriot and SAMP/T, which Ukraine possesses in limited numbers.

Yet perhaps the most unsettling aspect of this tragedy is the response—or lack thereof—from the United States. While European leaders swiftly condemned the strike, Washington’s initial reaction was subdued. The U.S. embassy in Ukraine hesitated to assign blame until prompted by public outcry from President Zelenskyy. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has remained publicly silent. The only American voice to directly condemn the attack was evangelical pastor Mark Burns, a spiritual advisor to Trump, who called it a “bloody crime” and urged solidarity with Ukraine.

Observers believe the strike may have served a dual purpose: not only to instill terror and chaos in Ukraine’s civilian rear, but also to test the resolve of Kyiv’s allies—particularly Washington. If that was Russia’s intent, some argue the Kremlin got the reaction it wanted. In the midst of fragile ceasefire negotiations, the muted American response is being seen as a dangerous signal of growing passivity from one of Ukraine’s most powerful partners.

As Ukraine faces a surge in missile attacks and the threat of a waning international commitment, the bloodshed in Kryvyi Rih stands as a chilling reminder: silence can be just as loud as words.