At least 16 individuals lost their lives and over 130 were injured in an assault carried out by Russian drones at a shopping center in central Ukraine, as per authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the incident as an “act of barbarism” and vowed to retaliate. The attack in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s birthplace, occurred during the day, with 22 children among the wounded, according to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha.
Hanzha reported that 29 people, including five children, were in critical condition, with a large industrial building engulfed in black smoke. An update the following day revealed that nine individuals, including two children, were initially unaccounted for, and rescue efforts were ongoing to clear the shopping center’s rubble.
Zelenskyy characterized the assault as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” highlighting that a second Russian drone struck the shopping center half an hour after the initial attack, seemingly targeting emergency responders. Terming such acts as terrorism, Zelenskyy pledged a response and called on the global community to hold Russia accountable.
In a statement on the incident, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, denounced the attack as a manifestation of Moscow’s malicious intent in the ongoing conflict. She emphasized that Russia’s objective seemed to be making Ukrainian cities uninhabitable through such deliberate acts of terror.
Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Ukraine, criticized the detrimental impact on civilians resulting from the assault in Kryvyi Rih. He stressed the imperative of safeguarding civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law, which prohibits indiscriminate attacks on non-combatants and civilian structures.
Separately, another Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s southern region of Mykolaiv claimed the lives of at least four individuals, including three children, and left a woman injured. The escalating air warfare between Russia and Ukraine has persisted for over 4-1/2 years, with both sides engaging in deadly attacks. Ukraine has also targeted Russian oil facilities and logistical infrastructure in a bid to weaken Moscow’s military capabilities.
The conflict between the two nations has raged on since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with no signs of abating.