Russian Drone Strikes Kill Civilians in Central and Southern Ukraine
At least 15 people were killed and more than 130 were wounded on Friday after several Russian drones struck a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine, according to regional authorities. The daytime attack hit the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and caused smoke and damage at the site.
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said 22 children were among those injured. He reported that 29 people remained in serious condition, including five children. Images released after the strike showed black smoke rising from a large building as residents and emergency personnel gathered near the damaged shopping centre and surrounding area.
Zelenskyy described the incident as a deliberate attack and said a second drone struck approximately 30 minutes after the first. He alleged that the timing was intended to target emergency responders arriving at the scene. The president called for international accountability and said his government would respond to the assault.
Elsewhere on Friday, another Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region killed at least four people, including three children, according to Ukrainian state media. A woman was also wounded. The separate incident added to the day’s reported civilian casualties as Russian aerial attacks continued across multiple areas of Ukraine.
The attacks followed a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv the previous day that killed 17 people. The article described the incidents as part of an intensifying air campaign while ground fighting approaches four and a half years since Russia began its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine has also increased attacks inside Russia, focusing on oil facilities and logistics infrastructure in an effort to reduce Moscow’s military capacity. The continuing exchanges underscore the broadening use of drones and missiles by both sides, alongside sustained battlefield operations and mounting casualties since the conflict sharply expanded in 2022.