At least 16 individuals lost their lives and over 130 sustained injuries on Friday following multiple drone attacks on a shopping center in central Ukraine, as confirmed by authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the incident as an “act of barbarism” and pledged a retaliatory response.
According to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha, 22 children were among those injured in the daytime assault on the city of Kryvyi Rih, which happens to be Zelenskyy’s birthplace. Hanzha reported that 29 individuals, including five children, were in critical condition, sharing an image showing dark smoke emerging from a large industrial structure.
In a subsequent update early on Saturday, Hanzha disclosed that nine people, including two children, were initially considered missing, and rescue teams were actively working to clear the wreckage of the shopping center. Zelenskyy condemned the attack as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” highlighting that a second drone strike occurred half an hour after the first, indicating a deliberate targeting of emergency response units.
Characterizing such attacks as acts of terrorism, Zelenskyy emphasized the need for global accountability for Russia’s actions, asserting that Ukraine will indeed retaliate. Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, echoed similar sentiments, condemning the shopping center assault as a display of Moscow’s extreme cruelty and intention to render Ukrainian cities uninhabitable.
Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Ukraine, deplored the tragic repercussions on civilians resulting from the Kryvyi Rih attack, stressing the imperative of safeguarding civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law. Another attack on the same day in Ukraine’s southern region of Mykolaiv claimed the lives of at least four individuals, including three children, with a woman sustaining injuries due to a Russian drone strike.
As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine persists, Russia continues to intensify its aerial assaults, while Ukraine retaliates by targeting Russian oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to undermine Moscow’s war capabilities. The ongoing all-out conflict between the two nations commenced with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
