At least 16 individuals lost their lives and over 130 sustained injuries on Friday due to a series of drone attacks by Russian forces on a shopping center located in central Ukraine, as confirmed by authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the incident as an “act of barbarism” and vowed to retaliate.
The regional governor, Oleksandr Hanzha, disclosed that among the casualties of the daytime assault in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s birthplace, were 22 children. Hanzha further reported that 29 individuals, including five children, were in critical condition, with a photo showing black smoke emanating from a large industrial structure.
In an update provided early Saturday, Hanzha mentioned that nine individuals, including two children, were currently unaccounted for, and rescue teams were actively working to clear the debris at the shopping center site.
Zelenskyy labeled the attack as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” asserting that a second Russian drone intentionally struck the shopping center half an hour after the initial attack, aiming to target emergency responders. Describing such acts as terrorism, Zelenskyy emphasized the necessity of holding Russia accountable and assured that Ukraine would respond decisively.
In a statement on X, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, condemned the shopping center assault as a display of Moscow’s extreme cruelty in warfare. Kallas stressed that Russia’s objective was to render Ukrainian cities uninhabitable through deliberate acts of terror.
Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, strongly criticized the tragic impact on civilians resulting from the Kryvyi Rih attack, emphasizing the imperative of safeguarding civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Additionally, Ukrainian state media reported another deadly drone strike on Friday in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region, resulting in the deaths of at least four individuals, including three children. Amid ongoing conflict, both Russia and Ukraine have intensified their military actions, with Russia escalating its aerial assaults and Ukraine targeting Russian oil facilities and logistical infrastructure in a bid to weaken Moscow’s war capabilities.
The protracted conflict between the two nations commenced with Russia’s extensive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has since plunged them into a relentless state of warfare.
