At least 16 individuals lost their lives and over 130 sustained injuries during an assault by Russian drones on a shopping complex in central Ukraine, as per official reports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the incident, labeling it as an “act of barbarism” and vowed to take action in response. The attack, which occurred in Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih, resulted in 22 children among the injured, with 29 individuals, including five children, in critical condition.
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha mentioned that nine people, including two children, were initially reported missing following the assault, and efforts were ongoing to clear the debris from the shopping center. Zelenskyy criticized the attack as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” highlighting that a second drone strike deliberately targeted emergency services shortly after the initial incident.
Expressing outrage, Zelenskyy deemed such attacks as terrorist acts and vowed a definitive response, urging the global community to hold Russia accountable. European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, condemned the assault, describing it as a display of Moscow’s malevolence in warfare and its aim to render Ukrainian cities uninhabitable.
Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, condemned the tragic impact on civilians resulting from the Kryvyi Rih attack, emphasizing the importance of protecting civilians under international humanitarian law. In a separate incident on the same day, a Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region claimed the lives of at least four individuals, including three children, and left a woman injured.
Escalating tensions persist between Russia and Ukraine as the conflict approaches its 4-1/2-year mark, with Russia intensifying its aerial assaults and Ukraine targeting Russian oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to weaken Moscow’s war capabilities. The ongoing conflict between the two nations began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.