At least 16 individuals lost their lives and over 130 sustained injuries on Friday in a devastating assault by multiple Russian drones on a shopping center situated in central Ukraine, as confirmed by authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to retaliate against what he denounced as an “act of barbarism.”
The regional governor, Oleksandr Hanzha, disclosed that among the casualties from the daytime attack in the city of Kryvyi Rih, where Zelenskyy hails from, were 22 children. Hanzha further noted that 29 individuals, including five children, were in critical condition, with a haunting image of black smoke emanating from a large industrial structure shared by him.
In a subsequent update early Saturday, Hanzha mentioned that nine people, including two children, were initially unaccounted for, while rescue teams continued the arduous task of sifting through the debris at the shopping center.
Zelenskyy strongly condemned the assault, labeling it as “absolutely cynical and despicable.” He highlighted that a second Russian drone strike deliberately targeted emergency responders by hitting the shopping center half an hour after the initial attack. Describing such actions as nothing short of terrorism, Zelenskyy emphasized the necessity for the international community to hold Russia accountable, asserting that Ukraine would retaliate in response.
European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, condemned the shopping center attack as an illustration of Moscow’s malevolent warfare tactics. Kallas characterized the assault as a premeditated act of terror aimed at rendering Ukrainian cities uninhabitable.
Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, expressed grave concerns over the tragic toll on civilians resulting from the Kryvyi Rih attack, condemning the violation of international humanitarian law that prohibits indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
In a separate incident on the same day, Ukrainian state media reported that a Russian drone strike in the southern region of Mykolaiv led to the deaths of at least four individuals, including three children, while a woman sustained injuries.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to intensify, with Russia escalating its aerial assaults as the protracted conflict nears the 4-1/2-year mark. Additionally, Ukraine has retaliated by targeting Russia’s oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to undermine Moscow’s military capabilities. The ongoing conflict between the two nations has persisted since Russia initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
