In brief
On Friday a double‑tap drone strike devastated a busy mall in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, killing 16 and wounding 130 people. Rescue teams, assisted by crews from seven regions, are still combing the wreckage under the threat of further Russian attacks. President Volodymyr Zelensky decried the hit as “cynical and despicable”, especially the second drone that targeted emergency workers. The incident comes amid a broader flare‑up between Ukraine and Russia, including attacks on infrastructure and civilian targets across the country.
A Russian drone strike hit a busy shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih on Friday, killing 16 people and injuring 130. The double‑tap attack managed to destroy part of the roof and ignite a large fire that has now been extinguished.
Rescue crews, including teams from seven different Ukrainian regions, are combing the rubble looking for survivors. Four people remain missing and the search could continue for the next two days, regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said on Ukrainian TV.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the strike “cynical and despicable”, and noted the second drone specifically targeted emergency workers. Zelensky also reported a series of missile and drone strikes across the country that damaged civilian infrastructure, including a fire in a railway bridge in the capital Kyiv.
Military officials have not explained why Ukraine’s air defence could not intercept the drones, although the country’s drone‑interception success rate is around 90%. Meanwhile, Russia claims it downed 457 Ukrainian drones overnight.
