Russian drones set fire to the biggest shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih, a steel city in central Ukraine. Half an hour later, they came back for the rescue crews.
The Russian military attacked Kryvyi Rih’s largest shopping mall, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s defense council. Videos posted on social media indicate the target was Sonyachna Halereya (“Sunny Gallery”), where a major fire broke out after the strike.
Russian military forces launched a strike on Kryvyi Rih's largest shopping mall, Sonyachna Halereya, resulting in a major fire. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city's defense council, reported that the attack killed 15 people and injured 130, including 23 children in serious condition. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike an act of terrorism, stating that the Russian military deliberately targeted civilian gathering places.
Just half an hour after the initial attack, Russian drones returned to strike the rescue crews. Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets condemned the deliberate targeting of civilians, emphasizing that people were shopping, working, or spending time with loved ones at the mall. Warehouses at Sonyachna Halereya were reportedly being used to support Ukraine's armed forces, according to Russian "war correspondent" Yury Kotenok.
The Russian Defense Ministry has previously justified strikes on Ukrainian businesses using this same argument. Russia had previously targeted Kryvyi Rih on August 16, striking industrial plants with missiles and drones, killing two and injuring 14.
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