Kryvyi Rih in Ukraine pays tribute to those lost in the Russian missile attack.

A key Ukrainian city conducted vigils on Monday, marking the beginning of three days of mourning for 11 adults and nine children killed by a Russian missile last week, as one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in recent months undermined Washington’s efforts for a ceasefire.

The attack on President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih on Friday evening scattered shrapnel throughout a crowded residential region, which Ukraine’s military reported as a cluster munitions strike.

“The use of an explosive weapon with wide area effects by the Russian Federation in a densely populated area – and without any apparent military presence – demonstrates a reckless disregard for civilian life,” UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said in a statement on Sunday.

Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said the strike was the deadliest of the war on Kryvyi Rih, an industrial centre with a pre-war population of around 600,000 that is regularly targeted by Russian missiles and drones.

“Revenge will be inevitable, because this is a crime without a statute of limitations,” he wrote on social media.

He indicated that the victims’ ages varied from 3 to 79 years, and noted that 33 individuals, including 4 children, were still receiving treatment in the hospital. As reported by public broadcaster Suspilne, local clergy conducted a memorial service at a playground close to the strike location, while residents gathered to honor a nine-year-old boy who was reportedly killed while playing on a swing.

Russia asserted, without providing public evidence, that its attack aimed at a gathering of Ukrainian servicemen and foreign trainers, claiming it resulted in the deaths of as many as 85 individuals, a statement dismissed by Kyiv as misinformation.

U.S. President Donald Trump has committed to quickly concluding the war, while attempting to mend ties with Moscow after years of solid support for Kyiv from the United States.

Russia dismissed a U.S. offer last month for a complete ceasefire that Kyiv had accepted. The conflicting parties subsequently consented to a restricted ceasefire concerning assaults on energy infrastructure, which they both claim the other has breached. White House officials are debating the chances that Washington won’t manage to achieve a peace agreement in the upcoming months.