Russian double-tap drone strike kills 15 in Ukrainian mall, officials say

At least 15 people were killed and 130 injured, including 23 children, in a Russian double-tap drone strike on Kryvyi Rih, a central Ukrainian city, according to local officials. The attack, described as "absolutely cynical and despicable," took place during the day and involved two waves of strikes. The second wave targeted emergency workers at the scene.

Dramatic footage verified by the BBC showed a second drone hitting an already burning shopping centre in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russia's military has not commented on the incident. Oleksandr Hanzha, Dnipropetrovsk regional head, confirmed 15 fatalities, with two more deaths reported in hospitals. He expressed concern over a potential rise in the death toll.

Rescue teams from four other Ukrainian regions were urgently deployed to aid in the search for survivors. Kryvyi Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul accused the attackers of flying the drones at extremely low altitudes, calling them "animals." Several blocks of flats and warehouses in the city, along with a children's hospital and school, were struck in a previous Russian missile and drone attack.

Ukraine's military retaliated by striking a Russian oil refinery and a military airfield inside Russia. In recent months, Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian energy facilities and warehouses of the country's largest online retailer, Wildberries, considering them legitimate targets due to their financial support for Russia's war.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, currently controlling about a fifth of Ukrainian territory in the southeast.