A Russian drone attack on the largest shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih has resulted in 16 confirmed deaths, according to local officials. The assault on President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown was characterized by a "double-tap" strategy, where a second wave of drones targeted emergency responders who had arrived to assist victims of the initial strike.
Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha confirmed that 15 people were initially reported dead, with search teams later retrieving another body from the rubble. The attack also left 130 people injured, including 23 children, and officials noted that 29 individuals remain in serious condition. Fears persist that the death toll may increase as search and rescue operations continue, with teams from four additional Ukrainian regions being deployed to assist.
President Zelensky condemned the daytime attack as "absolutely cynical and despicable." Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul reported that the Russian drones operated at "extremely low altitudes" to evade detection and described those responsible for the strike as "animals." Specially trained psychologists have been sent to support survivors, while local authorities noted that several people remain missing and are not responding to communication attempts.
The violence extended beyond Kryvyi Rih on Friday. Local officials reported that separate Russian attacks killed four people, including three children, in the Mykolaiv region, and resulted in two deaths in the Kharkiv region. In Zaporizhzhia, three people were injured when a drone detonated near a taxi. These incidents followed a massive Russian missile and drone barrage on Kyiv the previous day, which left 17 dead and over 40 injured, causing damage to residential blocks, warehouses, a school, and a children's hospital.
Amid the ongoing conflict, Ukraine’s military reported conducting its own strikes against a military airfield and an oil refinery deep inside Russia. Kyiv maintains that such facilities are legitimate targets due to their role in financing Russia's war effort, which began with a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Currently, Russia maintains control over approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory in the south-east.
