Russian Drone Strikes Kill Civilians in Central and Southern Ukraine
Ukrainian authorities said at least 15 people were killed and more than 130 were wounded Friday when Russian drones struck a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, a city in central Ukraine.
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said 22 children were among those injured, and 29 people, including five children, remained in serious condition. Images released by Ukrainian officials showed black smoke rising from the building as people gathered near the site.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as barbaric and said Ukraine would respond. He alleged that a second drone hit the shopping centre about 30 minutes after the first, potentially endangering emergency personnel responding to the initial strike. The account was presented by Ukrainian officials, and the text did not include a response from Russian authorities.
Elsewhere on Friday, Ukrainian state media reported that a Russian drone strike in the southern Mykolaiv region killed four people, including three children, and wounded a woman.
The attacks followed a ballistic missile strike on Kyiv the previous day that Ukrainian authorities said killed 17 people. Together, the incidents reflect an intensification of Russia’s aerial campaign as the war approaches four and a half years since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine has also increased attacks inside Russia, focusing on oil facilities and logistics networks that Kyiv says support Moscow’s military operations.
The latest strikes occurred as ground fighting continued and Ukraine faced domestic political pressure. The article noted that former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov had called for a wartime presidential election after his dismissal prompted protests. That development was presented as a separate challenge for Zelenskyy amid the continuing conflict.
Emergency crews continued searching the damaged shopping centre, while officials assessed casualties and destruction. The reports underscored the continuing toll on civilians and infrastructure across multiple regions of Ukraine during the war.