Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Russia launched a daytime drone attack on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih Friday, killing at least 14 and injuring 121 others, including 22 children.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyposted on X that several were killed at the shopping center by drones. The attack happened at about 4:30 p.m. local time.
"A rescue operation is currently underway in Kryvyi Rih following a strike on a shopping mall. There are many casualties. As of now, 14 people have been reported killed. My condolences to their families and loved ones. More than 100 people have been injured, among them 11 children. An absolute Russian atrocity. They're just monsters. We will definitely respond," Zelensky said.
"It is important that we have everything to protect life. It is important that the world does not remain silent about all this. There must be an end to this Russian war -- and we need the world to help us make that happen. I thank everyone who is helping people right now -- there in Kryvyi Rih, on the ground, and in our other cities and communities. Eternal memory to all those killed by Russian terror."
Абсолютно цинічний і підлий удар завдали росіяни по звичайному торговельному центру в Кривому Розі. Ударні дрони спрацювали у дві хвилі: через пів години після першого влучання і пожежі був повторний удар по рятувальних службах. Станом на зараз відомо про пʼятьох загиблих. Мої співчуття рідним та близьким. Щонайменше зараз 52 постраждалих, серед них шестеро дітей. Усім пораненим надається необхідна медична допомога. Такі удари – це просто теракт. І реагувати на них світові потрібно відповідно – реальним тиском на агресора. Щоб мир міг бути, потрібна реальна відповідальність Росії.
Kryvyi Rih is Zelensky's hometown.
Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih's Defense Council, said on Telegram that the second strike was carried out by a jet-powered Shahed-type drone and said the drones were flying at extremely low altitudes.
The Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor's Office posted on Telegram that 14 people were killed.
Vilkul said 121 people were injured, 29 of whom were in serious condition, including five children.
"There are people who have gone missing and cannot be contacted," Vilkul said. "Bloody damn Russian bastards," he said.
Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said on Telegram that Russia is deliberately striking places where civilians gather.
"People came to the shopping center for their ordinary business: to shop, to work, or to spend time with loved ones. For Russia, this makes no difference," Lubinets said. "The Russian army once again proves that civilians are a deliberate target for it in this war against Ukraine."
Russia also attacked a shopping center in Kramatorsk, killing two.
Kryvyi Rih has suffered several Russian attacks since the war began.
In April 2025, a Russian ballistic missile struck an area near apartment buildings and a children's playground, killing 19 people, including nine children, and injuring 75 others.
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The Israel separation wall stands near the E1 area, between the Arab neighborhood of Al-Eizariya and the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adumim, in the eastern edge of the Judean Desert, West Bank, on August 20, 2026. The Israeli government plans to build Jewish housing units in the E1 area. Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI | License Photo