At least 16 individuals lost their lives, and over 130 sustained injuries on Friday during a series of drone attacks by Russian forces on a shopping complex in central Ukraine, as confirmed by authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the incident as an “act of barbarism” and vowed to retaliate. The assault in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s birthplace, resulted in 22 children among the injured, with 29 individuals in critical condition, including five children, according to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha. Hanzha also reported that nine individuals, including two children, were initially reported missing, while rescue teams continued efforts to clear the wreckage at the shopping center.
Zelenskyy described the attack as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” highlighting that a second drone strike deliberately targeted emergency responders half an hour after the initial attack. He categorized such assaults as acts of terrorism and pledged a response, urging global accountability for Russia’s actions. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also condemned the attack, labeling it as part of Moscow’s ruthless warfare strategy aimed at making Ukrainian cities uninhabitable.
Matthias Schmale, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, denounced the tragic impact on civilians resulting from the Kryvyi Rih attack. He emphasized the importance of upholding international humanitarian law, which prohibits indiscriminate assaults on civilians and civilian infrastructure, stressing the necessity to safeguard civilians under all circumstances.
In a separate incident on the same day, at least four people, including three children, lost their lives, and a woman sustained injuries following a Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s southern region of Mykolaiv. As the conflict between the two nations approaches its 4-1/2-year mark, Russia has intensified its aerial campaign against Ukraine, while Ukraine has targeted Russian oil facilities and logistical assets in an attempt to undermine Moscow’s war capabilities. The ongoing conflict between the two countries began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.