Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy slams ‘cynical and despicable’ assault on his hometown of Kryvyi Rih that injured over 120.
Printed On 21 Aug 2026
Russian drones have hit a busy buying centre within the central Ukrainian metropolis of Kryvyi Rih, killing no less than 14 folks and wounding greater than 120.
Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defence Council, stated on Telegram that Friday’s strikes focused town’s largest buying advanced, sparking a fireplace. The loss of life toll as of 8pm native time (17:00 GMT) was 14, with 121 injured, together with 22 youngsters. Vilkul stated 29 of these injured had been in essential situation.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the assault on his hometown as “cynical and despicable”.
He stated a second Russian drone hit the buying centre half-hour after the primary, in what he claimed was a deliberate try to focus on emergency providers.
“Assaults like these are nothing lower than terrorist acts,” Zelenskyy stated on Telegram, urging the world to carry Russia to account.
“The world should reply to them accordingly – with actual strain on the aggressor. For peace to be potential, Russia should face actual accountability,” he added.
Movies on social media confirmed rescuers dashing to assist the wounded on the road exterior, as smoke billowed from the constructing.
In the meantime, a separate Russian strike within the Mykolaiv area killed 4 folks, together with three youngsters, the nation’s Inside Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi stated.
‘Blatant act of terror’
Al Jazeera’s Audrey Macalpine, reporting from Kyiv, stated the assault on Kryvyi Rih’s second-largest mall had sparked outrage. “Some are calling it a blatant act of terror, saying Ukraine should reply to it accordingly.”
Macalpine stated it was unclear whether or not the mall was the meant goal – as drones are at instances intercepted and may fall haphazardly – however that video footage steered the assault was deliberate.
Macalpine famous that Ukraine has been stepping up assaults in current weeks on Russian warehouses linked to Wildberries, Russia’s largest on-line retailer, drawing Moscow’s ire.
Kryvyi Rih, an industrial metropolis that lies roughly 60km (37 miles) from the entrance line, has come below repeated Russian assaults all through the warfare.
Russia has intensified its bombardments of Ukrainian cities in current months. Ukraine has additionally stepped up its personal assaults on Russia, concentrating on oil amenities and logistics infrastructure to strive to undermine Moscow’s capability to wage warfare.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that no less than 437 civilians had been killed and one other 2,610 injured in Russian assaults in July. That’s the highest month-to-month civilian loss of life toll since Might 2022.
International locations allied with Ukraine – the 34-member so-called “coalition of the keen” – will meet to reaffirm assist for Kyiv on Monday, Ukrainian independence day.
