- At least 15 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in a Russian “double-tap” strike on a shopping center in central Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said on Friday.
- The attack drones struck in two waves: half an hour after the first strike and the resulting fire, there was a second strike targeting emergency responders, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on Telegram.
- 29 of the injured are in serious condition, including a 14-year-old girl with a traumatic brain injury and four other children, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city’s defense council.
- President Zelensky condemned the attack as an 'act of barbarism' and warned that Ukraine “will definitely respond” to the attack.
- Emergency crews are still working to clear the rubble, and several people are missing and can’t be reached, according to Vilkul.
- Footage geolocated by CNN shows a drone hitting a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, causing a fireball to erupt into the sky as it explodes, while smoke from an apparent earlier strike is still visible.
- Stores inside the shopping center caught fire, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city’s defense council.
- The strike on the mall happened a day after Russia carried out a large attack in the surrounding region, killing at least 17 people, according to Ukraine.
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged allies to provide more missile interceptors and impose additional sanctions on Russia’s military-industrial complex.
- He stated, “Russia must be denied both the ability to produce these means of terror and the ability to use them.”
- Russia has intensified its aerial assault on Ukraine in recent months as the front lines remain largely static, locked in a slow-moving, deadly stalemate.
At least 15 people have been killed and over 130 wounded in a Russian drone strike on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on Friday. The attack, described as a 'double-tap' strike, involved two waves of drones, with the second targeting emergency responders.1
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the assault as an 'act of barbarism' and vowed that Ukraine 'will definitely respond'. He characterized the attack as 'absolutely cynical and despicable', emphasizing the deliberate nature of the second strike aimed at rescuers.4
The Dnipropetrovsk regional prosecutor's office reported that at least 29 of the injured are in serious condition, including a 14-year-old girl with a traumatic brain injury. 22 children were among the wounded, highlighting the attack's devastating impact on civilians.3
Emergency crews continue to search for missing individuals amidst the rubble, as the region grapples with intensified Russian aerial assaults. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged allies to provide more missile interceptors and impose further sanctions on Russia's military-industrial complex, stating, 'Russia must be denied both the ability to produce these means of terror and the ability to use them.' This incident follows a previous attack that killed at least 17 people, underscoring the ongoing violence in the region.8911
“The second drone hit half an hour after the first, targeting emergency responders, as confirmed by Zelensky. At least 29 injured are in serious condition, including five children, and emergency crews are still clearing rubble with several people missing.”
