At least 16 individuals lost their lives and over 130 were injured during a Russian drone assault on a shopping center in central Ukraine, as confirmed by authorities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as an “act of barbarism” and vowed a retaliatory response.

According to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha, the incident in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s birthplace, resulted in 22 children among the wounded. Hanzha reported that 29 individuals, including five children, are in critical condition, with a photograph showing black smoke emanating from a large industrial structure.

An update by Hanzha the following day revealed that nine people, including two children, were considered missing, and rescue teams were working to clear the wreckage. Zelenskyy labeled the attack as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” noting that a second drone strike occurred half an hour after the initial assault, apparently targeting emergency responders.

Expressing determination to respond, Zelenskyy denounced such acts as terrorism and called on the international community to hold Russia accountable. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas characterized the shopping center attack as a display of Moscow’s malicious intent to render Ukrainian cities uninhabitable.

Matthias Schmale, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, decried the tragic impact on civilians resulting from the Kryvyi Rih attack. Meanwhile, a separate Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region claimed the lives of at least four individuals, including three children.

With Russia intensifying its aerial campaign against Ukraine amid ongoing conflict, both countries are engaged in reciprocal attacks. Ukraine has targeted Russian oil facilities and logistical infrastructure to hinder Moscow’s war efforts, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The situation underscores the protracted state of conflict between the two nations as casualties continue to mount on both sides.