Rescuers in Ukraine are continuing their search for survivors in the wreckage of a big shopping centre hit by Russia on Friday.
Sixteen people were killed and 130 injured when two drones hit the busy centre in Kryvyi Rih in quick succession. Four people remain missing, and the search and rescue operation may last another two days.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strike as “cynical and despicable”, especially after a second drone targeted emergency workers.
Ukrainian attacks overnight killed at least four Russians, including two children, while three Ukrainian civilians were reported dead by Kyiv as a result of Russian strikes. The death toll in Kryvyi Rih reached 16 after another body was recovered from the rubble.
Regional head Oleksandr Hanzha declared that the search and rescue effort is ramping up, and that the operation could continue for two more days due to the scale of devastation and the threat of further attacks.
Rescue teams from seven other Ukrainian regions were deployed to support the search for survivors. The massive fire covering some 9,000 sq m has been extinguished.
Later on Saturday, Hanzha reported that 52 injured people, including 14 children, still remain in city hospitals. Kryvyi Rih’s military chief Oleksandr Vilkul noted that dozens had already undergone surgery.
A day of mourning is observed across the Dnipropetrovsk region. Dramatic footage verified by the BBC showed the second drone hitting the already burning shopping centre in Zelensky's hometown.
Vilkul described the drones as “animal attacks” and said they flew at extremely low altitudes. Officials have yet to explain why Ukraine’s air‑defence units, which intercept 90% of drones, failed in this case.
Ukraine’s interception rate for ballistic missiles stands at around 40%. Kyiv says it is low on U.S. Patriot missiles, the most effective anti‑ballistics weapon. The attack follows a major Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv that killed 17 people.
In a broader context, Russian forces continue targeting Ukrainian infrastructure, while Ukraine’s own strikes hit Russian energy facilities and logistics hubs of the largest Russian retailer Wildberries. Kyiv calls these legitimate because they finance Russia’s war, while Russia claims civilians are being targeted.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow now controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory in the south‑east.
