Dozens of civilians were feared dead or wounded in a Russian missile attack Monday at a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine’s central city of Kremenchuk, Ukrainian authorities said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram publication that the death toll was “unimaginable,” citing reports that more than 1,000 civilians were inside at the time of the attack.
Images of the scene showed giant plumes of black smoke from a mall surrounded by flames, while emergency crews rushed in and spectators watched in danger.
Read more: Russia “mouths fire” in Ukrainian city while Moscow gains ground in the Donbas
At least 10 people were killed and more than 40 injured, according to the regional governor of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said the target posed “no threat to the Russian army” and “had no strategic value.” He accused Russia of sabotaging “people’s attempts to live a normal life, which make the occupiers so angry.”
The story continues under the ad
The alleged attack with Russian missiles echoed pre-war attacks that caused a large number of civilian casualties, such as one in March at a theater in Mariupol where many civilians had been hiding, killing about 600, and another in April at a train station. east of Kramatorsk which left at least 59 dead.
“Russia continues to eliminate its impotence on ordinary civilians. It is useless to wait for decency and humanity on its part,” Zelenskyy said.
4:17 G7 leaders meet in Germany G7 leaders meet in Germany
Mayor Vitaliy Maletskiy wrote on Facebook that the attack “affected a very crowded area, which is 100% sure it will have no link to the armed forces.”
The attack came when Russia was mounting a total assault on the last Ukrainian stronghold in Luhansk province in eastern Ukraine, “pouring fire” on the city of Lysychansk from land and air, according to the local governor.
The story continues under the ad
Russian forces appeared to be stepping up an offensive focused on trying to snatch the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine after forcing government troops to leave the neighboring city of Sievierodonetsk in recent days.
Western leaders, for their part, promised firm and continued support in Kyiv. NATO will agree to offer more military support to Ukraine, including secure communication and anti-drone systems, when its leaders meet in Spain for a summit, according to military alliance secretary general Jens Stoltenberg.
In this image taken from a video provided by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, firefighters are working to put out a fire in a burned-out mall after a rocket attack in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on Monday, June 27, 2022. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine via AP)
On Monday, west of Lysychansk, the mayor of the city of Sloviansk, potentially the next major battlefield, said Russian forces fired cluster munitions into the city after dawn, including one that went hit a residential neighborhood.
Trend stories
-
“Too much mayonnaise”: A subway worker shot dead after a sandwich discussion
-
51 migrants killed after abandonment of a truck trailer in San Antonio, Texas: officials
Authorities said the number of dead and injured had not yet been confirmed. The Associated Press saw a death: the body of a man was hunched over the frame of a car door, with his blood piled on the ground from wounds to his chest and head.
The story continues under the ad
The blast blew up most of the windows in the surrounding apartment blocks and cars parked below, smearing the floor with broken glass.
“Everything is now destroyed. We are the only people left living in this part of the building. There is no power,” said local resident Valentina Vitkovska, crying as she spoke of the blast. “I can’t even call to tell others what happened to us.”
Read more: Canada targets 74 people and businesses in Russia, Belarus with new sanctions
In all, Zelenskyy’s office said at least six civilians were killed and 31 others were injured as part of intense Russian bombing of several Ukrainian cities over the past 24 hours, including Kyiv and major southern cities. the east of the country, but not counting the attack on Kremenchuk. .
He said Russian forces fired rockets that killed two people and wounded five at night in and around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, and continued to aim at the key port of Odessa, south. . A missile attack destroyed residential buildings and injured six people, including a child, he said.
In Lysychansk, at least five high-rise buildings in the city and the last road bridge were damaged during the last day, the regional governor said. A crucial road linking the city with government-controlled territory to the south became impassable by bombing.
The story continues under the ad
The city had a pre-war population of about 100,000, about a tenth of whom remain.
1:20 Ukraine also fights the cultural war in the middle of the Russian invasion Ukraine also fights the cultural war in the middle of the Russian invasion
Analysts say that the location of Lysychansk on the banks of the river Siverskiy Donets gives a great advantage to Ukrainian defenders of the city.
“It’s a very difficult news to break. The Russians could spend many months and a lot of effort storming Lysychansk,” said military analyst Oleh Zhdanov.
At other events, in the Bavarian Alps of Germany, the leaders of the Group of Seven countries pledged to continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”
In a joint statement on Monday after holding a video link session with Zelenskyy, the leaders stressed their “unwavering commitment to supporting the government and people of Ukraine in their courageous defense of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the your country “.
The story continues under the ad
Read more: NATO will increase rapid response force to 300,000 troops as Madrid summit approaches
Meanwhile, the United States seemed willing to respond to Zelensky’s call for more air defense systems after Russian troops hit Kyiv with long-range missiles on Sunday. Washington was expected to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Ukraine.
The British Defense Ministry said it was likely that Russia would become increasingly dependent on reserve forces during the coming weeks of the war.
Analysts have said that a call for reservists by Russia could greatly upset the balance of the war, but could also have political consequences for the government of President Vladimir Putin.
© 2022 The Canadian Press