"They Are Monsters," Fuming Zelenskyy Says After Drone Strikes Leave 145 Dead and Injured

A large number of casualties occurred following a drone attack on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, a city in the southwestern part of Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, 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 at around 4:30 p.m. that day, followed by a second strike 30 minutes later.

The two airstrikes caused a fire that burned down one-third of the entire shopping mall's area.

At least 15 people were killed and over 130 others were injured. Among the injured, 23 are children, and 29 people, including 5 of the children, are reportedly in critical condition.

An official stated that Shahed-type drones equipped with jet engines 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 carried out an extremely cold-blooded and vile attack on an ordinary shopping center in Kryvyi Rih," adding, "There was a second attack targeting rescue workers 30 minutes after the fire broke out from the first attack."

Later, in a separate video statement, he said, "This is a Russian atrocity, they are monsters," and vowed, "We will definitely respond."

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)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.