Putin touts Russian attacks after Kryvyi Rih mall attack kills 16
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin made a series of cynical claims about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after his forces struck Kryvyi Rih’s largest shopping mall at midday, killing 16 people and injuring 130.
Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted about Russia's attacks on Ukraine, particularly after the Kryvyi Rih mall attack that killed 16 people and injured 130. During an interview with Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin, Putin claimed that Russian strikes on Ukraine were directly benefiting their military operations. Despite a recent fall in his approval rating due to internet outages and a fuel crisis sparked by Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, Putin insisted that Russia's offensive was accelerating and they were confidently achieving their goals in the ongoing "special military operation."
He also accused Ukraine of "opening Pandora's box" by striking economic facilities, asserting that Russia's retaliatory strikes were more destructive than Ukraine's attacks on Russian soil. Putin dismissed Ukraine's ceasefire proposals as "exotic and unacceptable" and accused Kyiv of trying to intimidate Russians and interfere with Russia's elections.
The Kryvyi Rih mall attack occurred on August 21 when Russian forces struck the Sunny Gallery with two drones, resulting in 16 deaths and 130 injuries, including 23 children. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strike a deliberate act of terrorism and demanded strong international pressure on Russia. On August 19, Moscow imposed further restrictions on gasoline sales for the second time this summer, despite efforts to supply Kryvyi Rih by rerouting fuel from other regions.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry reported on August 16 that they had disabled seven out of the ten largest logistics centers operated by Russian online marketplace Wildberries, causing significant financial losses estimated between $9.5 billion and $11.93 billion. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War noted that Russian advances were still slow in July, advancing only 37.85 square kilometers on average per day.
A recent poll showed that Putin's approval rating had dropped to the lowest since 2021, with 65.1% of respondents approving of his performance and 23.4% openly opposing him.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
