At least 14 dead in Ukraine after Russian double-strike

A pair of Russian strikes on a southern Ukrainian shopping center killed at least 14 people and injured over 120 others on Friday, according to Ukrainian officials.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the drones struck the center in two waves, with the second strike occurring roughly half an hour after the first, when rescue crews were already on the scene. Zelenskyy characterized the attack in Kryvyi Rih as cynical and despicable, and offered condolences to the loved ones of those who died.

Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rih’s Defense Council, reported that the number of casualties continued rising, and at least 22 children were among the injured. Of the over 120 wounded, at least 29 were in serious condition, including five of the children, he said.

Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said Russia deliberately targeted civilian gathering places, not caring that the mall was where people came to shop, work, or spend time with loved ones. Russia’s strike proved that civilians were a deliberate target, Lubinets added.

Russia’s government-run news agency, TASS, reported Friday that Director General Andrey Kondrashov said Russia was conducting a surgical operation to avoid harming civilians and civilian infrastructure. The Russian army was afraid of causing unjustified civilian casualties, he said.

The double strike was a terrorist attack that the world needed to respond to by applying real pressure on the aggressor, Zelenskyy said. Officials continued working to assess the full extent of the strike’s damage and casualties. The fire engulfed at least a third of the entire mall, and citizens continued calling for help, Internal Affairs Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said.