Deadly Russian attack on shopping mall in Zelenskyy's hometown kills at least 16

WorldPolitics
22 Aug 2026 • 4:09 PM MYT
Euronews
Euronews

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Deadly Russian attack on shopping mall in Zelenskyy's hometown kills at least 16

At least 16 people were killed and 130 others were injured following Russian drone strikes on a shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday afternoon, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Oleksandr Hanzha, the head of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration, said on Saturday that 61 of those injured in the attack remain in hospital, with 23 in a "serious condition."

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that nine people are also still missing following the strikes. Search and rescue operations are ongoing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned the assault on his hometown as "deliberate and despicable."

"It is important that we have everything to protect life. It is important that the world does not remain silent about all this," he added.

Writing on X, Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, said the strikes showed the "absolute and utter depravity of Moscow’s war."

"This is terror by design. Russia wants to make Ukrainian cities unliveable," she continued, adding: "I am putting forward the most far-reaching Russia sanctions listings since the start of the war".

The industrial city of Kryvyi Rih, which is located roughly 60 kilometres from the frontline, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia has increased the number of attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent months, and according to the UN, the civilian death toll has reached its highest level for civilians since the first months of the war.

Moscow launched 135 drones overnight on Ukraine

Meanwhile, Russian overnight and early morning attacks killed at least five people.

A 46-year-old woman from the village of Komyshuvakha, in the Zaporizhzhia region, was killed after "A Russian guided aerial bomb struck" her house, Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, said on Telegram.

Further north, four people were killed, including two women aged 73 and 66, in the frontline village of Lebiazhe in the Kharkiv region after Russian drones attacked the village and sparked fires in residential areas, according to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration.

Moscow launched a total of 135 drones overnight on Ukraine, striking 16 locations, 107 which were downed according to Ukraine's Armed forces.

Ukraine strikes logistics and command post

Ukraine reported to have hit drone storage sites, logistics warehouses, command posts and communication facilities belonging to Russian forces, situated in the temporarily occupied regions of Donetsk and Crimea.

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