Russian strike on Ukraine kills at least 2, a day after deadly mall attack

Russian strikes on Ukraine claimed at least two more lives on Saturday, officials reported, following a deadly mall attack that took 16 lives the previous day. Ukrainian forces retaliated by launching a drone assault on Russia's Krasnodar region, resulting in the deaths of three Russians and 15 injuries, according to local authorities.

The attacks occurred a day after Russian drones targeted a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, killing 16 people and injuring 130. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed one fatality and one injury in the latest missile strikes on Kyiv, which targeted the city's railway infrastructure. Russia's Defense Ministry reported that a locomotive depot was hit by the missiles.

Meanwhile, a separate Russian missile strike on the Kyiv region killed two more people, while Ukrainian drones hit a minibus, injuring three others. Russia has ramped up its ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, capitalizing on Ukraine's limited stock of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors, the only weapon capable of downing such missiles.

Additionally, Russian drones killed one person overnight in the Zaporizhzhia region, while three others were killed in a daytime attack, with 15 more injured. Zelenskyy cited three additional injuries in an attack on a minibus in Zaporizhzhia. These assaults come on the heels of Friday's striking of a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, which left 16 dead, nine missing, and 130 injured.

The escalation of violence has drawn criticism from Germany's foreign minister, who pledged further humanitarian aid to Ukraine and condemned Putin's intensified aggression.