Russian ‘double-tap’ strike on shopping centre in Ukraine kills 16 and wounds 130

At least 16 people were killed and more than 130 injured on Friday when several Russian drones struck a shopping centre in central Ukraine, authorities said, with President Volodymyr Zelensky promising a response to what he called an “act of barbarism”.

Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said 22 children were among the injured in the daytime attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih, which is Zelensky’s hometown.

“There are 29 people in serious condition, including five children,” Hanzha said. He posted a photo of black smoke billowing from a large industrial building.

In an update early on Saturday, Hanzha said nine people were preliminarily considered missing, including two children, and rescuers were continuing to clear the rubble of the shopping centre.

Zelensky called the attack “absolutely cynical and despicable”, saying that a second Russian drone hit the shopping centre half an hour after the first in what he said was a deliberate attempt to target emergency services.

Russia is escalating its air war on Ukraine as fighting on the battlefield grinds toward the four-and-a-half-year mark. On Thursday, 17 people were killed in a Russian ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Ukraine has also stepped up its own attacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to try to undermine Moscow’s ability to wage war.