At least 16 individuals lost their lives and over 130 sustained injuries on Friday following multiple drone attacks by Russia on a shopping center in central Ukraine, officials reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to retaliate against what he described as an “act of barbarism.”
Oleksandr Hanzha, the regional governor, disclosed that 22 children were among those injured during the daytime assault in Kryvyi Rih, which happens to be Zelenskyy’s birthplace. Hanzha indicated that 29 individuals, including five children, were in critical condition, with a photo he shared showing dense black smoke emanating from a large industrial structure.
In an early Saturday update, Hanzha mentioned that nine people were considered missing, including two children, and search and rescue teams were actively working to clear the debris from the shopping center.
Zelenskyy condemned the attack as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” highlighting that a second Russian drone deliberately struck the shopping center half an hour after the initial attack in an apparent effort to target emergency responders.
Addressing the incident on Telegram, Zelenskyy classified such assaults as terrorist acts and demanded accountability from the international community while affirming that Ukraine would respond decisively.
European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, denounced the shopping center attack as a manifestation of Moscow’s malevolent intentions, stating that Russia’s goal is to render Ukrainian cities uninhabitable.
Meanwhile, Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Ukraine, criticized the severe impact on civilians resulting from the Kryvyi Rih attack, emphasizing the need to safeguard civilians according to international humanitarian law.
In a separate incident on the same day, Ukrainian state media reported that a Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s southern region of Mykolaiv resulted in the deaths of at least four individuals, including three children, with a woman sustaining injuries.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate, with Russia intensifying its aerial assaults as the protracted conflict approaches the 4-1/2-year mark. Recent hostilities included a Russian ballistic missile attack on Kyiv that claimed the lives of 17 individuals on Thursday. Ukraine has also retaliated by targeting Russian oil facilities and logistical infrastructure to undermine Moscow’s military capabilities.
The ongoing conflict between the two nations commenced with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, plunging both countries into a state of all-out war.