Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Friday of deliberately attacking the civilian population after two Russian drones struck a shopping center in broad daylight in Kryvyi Rih, the Ukrainian president’s hometown. The attack killed at least 14 people and injured another 121, including 22 children. In a message on social media, Zelensky described the action as an “absolutely cynical and cowardly strike.”
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Among the injured, 29 are in serious condition, including five children, reported Oleksandr Hanzha, governor of the Ukrainian province of Dnipropetrovsk, to which the city belongs, with a population of over 600,000 inhabitants.
Eight patients, including a minor, had to be operated on as soon as they were transferred to a hospital, explained Hanzha, who added that there were still missing persons.
The politician also posted a photograph showing black smoke billowing from a large industrial building.
“The Russians have dealt an absolutely cynical and cowardly blow against a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih. The drones attacked in two waves: half an hour after the first impact and fire, a second attack was carried out against the rescue services,” Zelensky denounced in a message on Telegram.
“These types of attacks are simply an act of terrorism. And the international community must respond to them accordingly: with real pressure on the aggressor. For there to be peace, it is necessary for Russia to assume real responsibility,” Zelensky urged.
The Ukrainian president shared photos of the fire teams outside the shopping center, from which a thick cloud of smoke was coming out, as well as inside, attending to a bloodied patient and transporting what could be one of the fatalities.
As the war is about to reach four and a half years in duration, both Russia and Ukraine are intensifying their air bombings.
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In their attacks, Ukraine tries to reach Russian oil infrastructure and logistics centers in the interior regions of Russia with its drones. Kyiv’s declared goal is to damage the Russian economy to reduce the resources it can use to operate its military machine against Ukraine.
The strikes by Ukrainian drones against refineries, oil export ports, depots, and other facilities have caused a severe fuel shortage crisis since May. This has become visible through long queues of drivers at gas stations in dozens of Russian regions.
This Friday, long-range Ukrainian drones attacked an oil refinery in the Russian region of Perm, west of the Ural Mountains, more than 1,500 kilometers east of Ukraine, as well as a military airfield in the Volgograd oblast, in southern Russia.
Authorities in Perm did not provide details of the damage caused by the action, but the local Territorial Security Ministry explained to the Tass agency that air defenses were repelling enemy air attacks.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian army said it had attacked the Permnefteorgsintez refinery, owned by the oil company Lukoil, and asserted that a fire had broken out at the facilities.
Two independent channels that usually report on attacks in the Russian rear, the Russian Astra and the Ukrainian Exilenova+, reported the presence of smoke columns over that refinery. The latter outlet published several videos showing that image.
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