At least 16 individuals lost their lives and over 130 sustained injuries on Friday as multiple Russian drones targeted a shopping center in central Ukraine, as confirmed by authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the incident as an “act of barbarism” and vowed to retaliate.
The regional governor, Oleksandr Hanzha, disclosed that among those injured in the daytime assault on the city of Kryvyi Rih, which is Zelenskyy’s birthplace, were 22 children. Hanzha reported that 29 individuals, including five children, were in critical condition, with a photo showing black smoke emerging from a large industrial structure.
In an update provided early on Saturday, Hanzha mentioned that nine individuals, including two children, were initially unaccounted for, and rescue teams were actively working to clear the debris at the shopping center.
Zelenskyy condemned the attack as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” highlighting that a second Russian drone struck the shopping center half an hour after the initial attack, intending to target emergency services deliberately.
Describing such assaults as terrorist acts, Zelenskyy stressed the importance of holding Russia accountable and asserted that Ukraine would respond decisively. Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, characterized the shopping center attack as indicative of Moscow’s extreme brutality and intention to render Ukrainian cities uninhabitable.
Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, deplored the devastating impact on civilians resulting from the Kryvyi Rih attack on Friday, emphasizing the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure under international humanitarian law.
In a separate incident on the same day, Ukrainian state media reported that at least four people, including three children, were killed, and a woman was injured following a Russian drone strike in the southern region of Mykolaiv. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has intensified, with Russia escalating its aerial assaults while Ukraine targets Russian oil facilities and logistical networks to undermine Moscow’s war capabilities. The ongoing conflict between the two nations began in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.