A Russian drone strike hit a crowded shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 120, officials said Saturday.
Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih's Defense Council, said on Telegram that Friday's attacks targeted the city's largest shopping complex, sparking a fire. By 8 p.m. local time (5 p.m. GMT), the death toll reached 14, with 121 injured, including 22 children. Vilkul said 29 of the wounded were in critical condition.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack on his hometown as "wrong and despicable." He said a second Russian drone struck the mall 30 minutes after the first, accusing Moscow of deliberately targeting emergency responders.
"Such attacks are nothing short of terrorism," Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, urging the world to hold Russia accountable. "The world must respond accordingly — with real pressure on the aggressor. For peace to be achieved, Russia must face real responsibility," he added.
Social media footage showed rescue workers urgently assisting the wounded outside as smoke billowed from the building.
In a separate Russian attack in the Mykolaiv region, four people were killed, including three children, according to Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi.
The targeted shopping center is one of the largest in Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city about 60 kilometers from the front line. The city has endured repeated Russian strikes throughout the war.
An Al Jazeera correspondent in Kyiv reported that the attack sparked widespread outrage, with many calling it a "blatant act of terrorism" and arguing that Ukraine needs a commensurate response. There were also questions about whether the mall was the intended target, as drones are sometimes intercepted and can veer off course, but video evidence suggested the attack was deliberate.
Ukraine has stepped up strikes in recent weeks on Russian warehouses, including facilities linked to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer. Russia has also intensified shelling of Ukrainian cities in recent months.
At least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 others injured in Russian attacks in July, according to the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the highest monthly civilian casualty toll since May 2022.
Ukraine's allies — dubbed the "coalition of the willing" comprising 34 members — are expected to meet next Monday, on Ukraine's Independence Day, to reaffirm their commitment to supporting Kyiv.
