Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to retaliate after a double-tap drone strike on his hometown of Kryvyi Rih killed 16 people and wounded over 130. The attack, which occurred on Friday, was carried out in two waves, with the second strike targeting emergency workers at the scene of the first.
Zelensky described the attacks as an ‘act of barbarism’ and claimed the second strike was a deliberate attempt to target emergency services. He urged the world to hold Russia to account, stating ‘Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts. We will definitely respond.’
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported that 22 children were among the wounded, and nine people, including two children, were missing. Rescuers are continuing to clear the rubble of the shopping centre, with rescue teams from four other Ukrainian regions deployed to assist in the search for survivors.
Kryvyi Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul described the Russian drones as flying at ‘extremely low altitudes’ and called the attackers ‘animals.’ The attack is the latest in a series of high death toll strikes over the summer, with Kyiv being hit hard repeatedly in recent weeks.
European Commission vice president Kaja Kallas condemned Russia’s attack on Kryvyi Rih as ‘terror by design’ and announced plans to put forward the most far-reaching Russia sanctions listings since the start of the war. Zelensky renewed his calls for more air defence support, stating ‘Every day that Ukraine lacks sufficient air defence means casualties that could have been prevented.’
The attack on Kryvyi Rih occurred just 24 hours after Russia hit Kyiv with scores of missiles and drones in a nighttime assault that also killed 16 people. Ukraine has shifted the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities, causing fuel shortages across the country.
