Russian drone strike kills 16 and wounds over 130 in central Ukraine shopping centre

At least 16 people were killed and more than 130 wounded on Friday when several Russian drones struck a shopping centre in central Ukraine, authorities said, with President Volodymyr Zelensky promising a response to what he called an “act of barbarism”.

Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said that 22 children were among the wounded in the daytime attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih, which is Zelensky’s hometown.

“There are 29 people in serious condition, including five children,” Hanzha said. He posted a photo of black smoke billowing from a large industrial building.

In an update early on Saturday, Hanzha said nine people were preliminarily considered missing, including two children, and that rescuers were continuing to clear the rubble of the shopping centre.

Zelensky called the attack “absolutely cynical and despicable”, saying that a second Russian drone hit the shopping centre half an hour after the first in what he said was a deliberate attempt to target emergency services.