On Friday, August 21, Ukrainian authorities stated that several Russian drones launched two consecutive attacks on a shopping center in central Ukraine, resulting in at least 16 deaths and over 130 injuries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to the social media platform Telegram on Friday to announce, “These attack drones carried out two waves of assaults: the first attack caused a fire, and half an hour later, they targeted emergency responders in a second attack.”
Zelensky described the attacks as “tantamount to acts of terrorism” and issued a warning, saying, “We will definitely respond.”
The attack occurred in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown. Oleksandr Hanzha, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast where the city is located, revealed that among the injured during the daytime attack, 22 were children.
Hanzha mentioned, “There are 29 people with severe injuries, including 5 children.”
He also released a photo showing a large building billowing thick smoke.
In the latest update released early Saturday, Hanzha indicated that authorities estimated 9 people were missing, including two children. Rescue personnel continue to clear the rubble of the shopping center to search for victims.
Ukrainian national media reported on Telegram that in another attack on Friday, Russian drones targeted Mykolaiv Oblast in southern Ukraine, resulting in at least 4 deaths, including 3 children, and one woman injured.
In recent months, with the front lines largely at a standstill, Russia has intensified its airstrikes on Ukraine. According to Ukraine, the day before the aforementioned shopping center attack, Russia launched a ballistic missile strike on the capital city Kyiv, resulting in 17 fatalities.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has heightened its attacks on Russia, focusing on oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to weaken Russia’s ability to continue waging war.
(This article references reports from Reuters)