At least three killed in Russian strike on Ukraine shopping centre

• A Russian strike on a shopping centre in Pavlohrad, Ukraine, killed at least three people and wounded 34, with significant damage to commercial premises and vehicles.
• Civilian deaths in Ukraine are at their highest since the 2022 invasion, as attacks increasingly target civilian sites far behind front lines.
• Efforts to end the conflict continue, with talks suggested by Ukraine's president and recent US diplomatic visits, but Russia demands territorial concessions and a halt to Western military aid.

KYIV - A Russian strike on a shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad on Sept 10 killed at least three people and wounded 34 more, according to the authorities.

The attack comes at a time when the two warring sides have stepped up long-range barrages on each other hundreds of kilometres behind the front lines, increasingly targeting civilian sites alongside factories, refineries, warehouses and ports.

According to statistics verified by the United Nations, civilian deaths in Ukraine are running at their highest rate since the first months after Russia invaded in February 2022.

“About an hour ago, the Russians struck a shopping centre in Pavlohrad city centre. It happened in broad daylight whilst the streets were packed with people,” Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said on Telegram.

The Ukrainian Public Prosecutor’s Office and the regional governor, Oleksandr Ganja, reported a provisional toll of three dead and 34 injured, adding that commercial premises and vehicles had been damaged.

While Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that talks on ending Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II could happen this month, the Kremlin has said it was “too early” to discuss a venue or dates.

With Washington hoping to revive long-stalled stalled efforts towards ending the fighting, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump discussed the conflict on Sept 8 in what the Kremlin called an “extremely frank” and constructive hour-long phone call.

US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also visited Moscow and Kyiv over the weekend in an attempt to kickstart long-stalled US efforts to end the fighting.

Several previous rounds of talks have failed to bring the warring neighbours closer together.

Moscow is demanding Ukraine cede territory in its eastern Donetsk region that it still controls and renounce Western military support.

Kyiv has said such terms amount to capitulation and would only allow Russia to prepare a fresh attack in its bid to install a Moscow-friendly puppet government. AFP