At least 16 individuals lost their lives, and more than 130 sustained injuries on Friday when multiple Russian drones targeted a shopping center in central Ukraine, as per authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to retaliate against what he described as an “act of barbarism.”
According to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha, the daytime assault on the city of Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, left 22 children among the wounded. Hanzha reported that 29 individuals, including five children, are in critical condition, and he shared an image showing black smoke rising from a large industrial building.
In an update provided early on Saturday, Hanzha mentioned that nine people, including two children, were initially listed as missing. Rescue teams are actively working to clear the debris at the shopping center.
Zelenskyy denounced the attack as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” revealing that a second Russian drone struck the shopping center half an hour after the initial attack, indicating a deliberate effort to target emergency responders.
“We view these attacks as nothing short of terrorist acts,” Zelenskyy declared on Telegram, calling on the global community to hold Russia accountable. He assured that a response would be forthcoming.
Following the incident, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, condemned the shopping center attack as a demonstration of the “absolute and utter depravity of Moscow’s war.” Kallas labeled the attack as “terror by design,” alleging that Russia aims to make Ukrainian cities uninhabitable.
Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, criticized the devastating impact on civilians resulting from the attack in Kryvyi Rih. He emphasized the importance of upholding international humanitarian law, which prohibits indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
In a separate assault on the same day, Ukrainian state media reported that at least four individuals, including three children, lost their lives, and a woman sustained injuries following a Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s southern region of Mykolaiv.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate, with Russia intensifying its aerial assaults as the battlefield conflict approaches the 4-1/2-year mark. Meanwhile, Ukraine has ramped up its counterattacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistical infrastructure to undermine Moscow’s war capabilities.
The ongoing conflict between the two nations began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.