At least 16 individuals lost their lives and over 130 sustained injuries on Friday due to multiple Russian drone strikes targeting a shopping center in central Ukraine, as confirmed by authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the incident as an “act of barbarism” and vowed to retaliate.
Oleksandr Hanzha, the regional governor, revealed that 22 children were among those injured during the daytime assault in Kryvyi Rih, which happens to be Zelenskyy’s hometown. Hanzha reported that 29 individuals, including five children, were in critical condition, with a photograph showing thick black smoke emanating from a large industrial structure.
In a subsequent update early on Saturday, Hanzha disclosed that nine individuals were initially unaccounted for, including two children, and search and rescue operations were ongoing to clear the debris at the shopping center site.
Zelenskyy denounced the attack as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” highlighting that a second Russian drone struck the shopping center thirty minutes after the initial attack, seemingly targeting emergency response services deliberately.
Describing such assaults as acts of terrorism, Zelenskyy emphasized the need for global accountability towards Russia. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas echoed the sentiment, characterizing the shopping center strike as a display of Moscow’s ruthless warfare tactics aimed at rendering Ukrainian cities uninhabitable.
Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, condemned the tragic toll on civilians resulting from the Kryvyi Rih attack. He stressed the imperative of safeguarding civilians under international humanitarian law, which prohibits indiscriminate attacks on non-combatants and civilian structures.
In a separate incident on the same day, at least four individuals, including three children, perished, and a woman sustained injuries following a Russian drone assault in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region, according to Ukrainian state media reports on Telegram.
The escalation of aerial warfare by Russia in Ukraine is intensifying as the conflict nears its 4-1/2-year mark, with both sides actively engaging in military actions. Ukraine has retaliated by targeting Russian oil facilities and logistical infrastructure to disrupt Moscow’s war capabilities.
Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the two nations have been embroiled in a prolonged state of total conflict.