Four killed and 60 injured in Russian strike on shopping centre, Ukraine says
BBC News
Ukrainian officials report that four people were killed and 60 wounded following a Russian drone attack on a shopping mall in Pavlohrad, a city in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine.
Shops and vehicles were hit during the attack, which took place during daylight when "the streets were full of people", according to Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi.
Two other shopping malls, in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy, were also targeted by Russian air strikes earlier in the week, according to Ukrainian media.
Russia, meanwhile, has reported a Ukrainian seaborne drone attack on the resort city of Sochi overnight on Wednesday, resulting in 28 injuries and three deaths.
A full-scale war has been ongoing between Russia and Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion over four and a half years ago. A recent peacemaking effort by US President Donald Trump’s envoys appears to have yielded few tangible results.
Images released by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine show firefighters battling blazes amidst debris and smoke on the streets of Pavlohrad following the attack. Two of the injured are reported to be service members, and a child was also hurt.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the "despicable" Russian strike, offering his condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed.
Pavlohrad, a logistics hub near Dnipro, has been a target of heavy attacks previously, with two deaths reported in a warehouse strike last month.
Ukrainian officials also report a Russian drone attack on a mall in Sumy on Wednesday, killing two and wounding 20. On Thursday, Russian aerial bombing injured eight in Sumy, including three children. A shopping mall in Zaporizhzhia was almost completely destroyed on Monday, its owners reported, though it was closed at the time and no casualties were immediately reported.
One of the deadliest attacks on a shopping centre occurred last month, when Russian drones killed at least 16 and injured 130 in Kryvyi Rih. Shopping malls in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine have also been targeted, with attacks on a mall in Mariupol and another in Donetsk reported recently.
