Russian Strike Kills 16 at Ukraine Shopping Centre
At least 16 people were killed and more than 130 injured after Russian drones struck a busy shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the attack as “terror by design” and signalled a major new sanctions package against Russia.
Russian Drone Strike Kills 16 in Kryvyi Rih
The attack hit a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on August 21.
Ukrainian authorities said more than 130 people were injured, including over 20 children. Nearly 30 victims were reported to be in serious condition following the strike.
Videos and images from the scene showed emergency crews treating casualties outside the damaged building as smoke poured from the shopping complex.
Second Drone Allegedly Targeted Rescue Teams
Ukrainian officials said a second drone struck the building roughly 30 minutes after the initial attack, describing it as a “double-tap” strike aimed at emergency responders.
Zelenskyy condemned the attack as deliberate and called for stronger international pressure on Moscow.
Russia has not publicly provided evidence demonstrating that the shopping centre itself was being used for military purposes.
EU Plans Tougher Russia Sanctions
Kallas described the Kryvyi Rih attack as evidence of what she called the deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilian life.
She said she intends to propose the EU’s most extensive new Russia sanctions listings since the beginning of the war when European ministers meet in September.
Separately, another Russian strike in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region killed four people, including three children, as Moscow intensified long-range attacks across the country.
