Russian 'double-tap' strike on shopping centre in Ukraine kills 15 and wounds 130

Russian forces carried out a double drone strike on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih on August 21, according to local authorities. The attack, which took place in broad daylight, resulted in at least six deaths and over 90 injuries, including six children, said Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Oleksandr Hanzha. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the strikes as absolutely cynical and vile, emphasizing that they targeted civilians in a place where they were gathered for ordinary activities like shopping or spending time with loved ones.

Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, corroborated Zelensky's assessment, stating that Russia deliberately targets civilians during daylight hours. The attacks occurred around 4:30 p.m., according to Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih's Defense Council, reported that the first drone strike was followed by a second one around half an hour later, carried out by a jet-powered Shahed-type drone at extremely low altitudes.

Authorities warned that the death toll could rise, and a rescue operation was launched at the scene. The full extent of the casualties and damage is still being assessed. This incident followed a day of Russian attacks in Ukraine that killed at least six people and injured at least 77 others, including a tragic attack on April 4, 2025, in which a Russian ballistic missile struck a residential area in Kryvyi Rih, killing 19 people, including nine children, and injuring 75 others.