▲ Site of the shopping center struck in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine
A drone attack on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, a city in the southwestern part of Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, resulted in a large number of casualties on the 21st (local time).
The area is the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and has frequently been targeted by bombings since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
According to local media, a Russian drone attack took place at the "Sun Gallery" shopping center around 4:30 p.m. that day, followed by a second strike 30 minutes later.
The two successive strikes triggered a fire that burned down one-third of the entire shopping mall area.
At least 15 people were killed and over 130 others were injured. Among the injured, 23 are children, and a total of 29 people, including 5 of the children, are reportedly in critical condition.
An official stated that jet-engine-equipped Shahed-type drones were used in the second strike, and that these drones flew at low altitudes. In a post on the social media platform X, President Zelenskyy stated, "Russia launched an extremely cruel and cowardly attack on an ordinary shopping center in Kryvyi Rih," adding, "Thirty minutes after the first attack caused a fire, there was a second strike targeting rescue workers."
Later, in a separate video statement, he said, "This is a Russian atrocity; they are monsters," and vowed, "We will certainly retaliate."
The Associated Press reported that other regions, including Mykolaiv and Kharkiv, were also targeted by Russian airstrikes that day, bringing the total death toll across Ukraine to 21.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.