Ukraine: Russians bomb Kremenchuk shopping center – 11 dead and 50 injured

LAST UPDATE 22:55

Two Russian missiles struck a shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday, killing at least 11 people and injuring 50, Regional Governor Dmytro Lunin told Reuters.

“It is an act of terrorism against civilians,” the governor said, noting that there were no nearby military targets that could be targeted by Russian missiles.

Rescuers will continue to search for survivors in the mall, Lunin added, although he warned that the death toll is expected to rise in the coming hours.

Earlier, President Zelensky said more than 1,000 people were in the mall at the time of the rocket attack, according to Reuters.

The Ukrainian president did not give details of the death toll, but said: “It is impossible to even imagine the number of victims.”

“It is useless to hope for decency and humanity from Russia,” Zelensky wrote in a Telegram post.

It is worth noting that in Kremenchuk, an industrial city of 217,000 inhabitants before the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, is located the largest oil refinery in Ukraine.

#Russia fired missiles at a shopping mall in #Kremenchuk, #Poltava region. More than a thousand visitors were inside at that moment. Heartbreaking. Terrible #warcrime. Inhuman. Cruel. Justice must be served, Russia must be held accountable immediately.
Praying for those affected pic.twitter.com/l9lmAioenC

– Emine Dzheppar (@EmineDzheppar) June 27, 2022

Unacceptable attack

The United Nations is concerned about the escalating fighting in Ukraine and the unacceptable attack on a shopping mall today, said UN spokesman Stefan Duzarik.

“At least it’s sad. Any kind of political infrastructure, which obviously includes shopping malls and citizens, should never be targeted,” Duzarik told reporters.

Johnson: This attack shows Putin’s barbarity

Boris Johnson condemned the Russian attack, which, according to the British Prime Minister, shows the “cruelty and barbarism” of Vladimir Putin and all he does is “strengthen the West’s determination” to support Kyiv.

“This horrific attack has once again shown the depth of cruelty and barbarism into which the Russian leader is about to sink,” the British prime minister said in a statement.

“Putin must understand that his conduct will strengthen the resolve of the United Kingdom and all other G7 countries to support Ukraine for as long as necessary,” he added.

The Russian blow came on the second day of the G7 summit in southern Germany, which is largely dominated by the war started by Russia.

To hold Russia accountable

Russia must be held accountable for the deadly rocket attack on the mall, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement condemning the attack.

“Russia must be held accountable for its actions. France supports the fight against impunity in Ukraine,” a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.

Four killed in Kharkiv bombing

Meanwhile, four people were killed and 19 others were injured in Russian bombings in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, the region’s governor announced today.

So far there has been no reaction from Moscow, which denies targeting civilians.

“Doctors are providing the necessary assistance. Information on the number of victims is being updated,” Governor Oleh Sinehubov told the Telegram.

Eight civilians dead, 21 wounded in Lisichansk

At least eight Ukrainian civilians were killed and 21 others wounded in a Russian bombardment today as they were collecting water in Lysitshansk (east), the twin city of Sheverodonetsk recently captured by Moscow forces, the regional governor said.

“The Russians fired at a crowd of people with multiple rocket launchers as civilians were collecting water from a tank. Eight people were killed and 21 were taken to hospital,” Governor Serhiy Gaidai told the Telegram.

Lisichansk is the last major city left to fall to the Russians in the Luhansk region, one of the two provinces of the Donbas basin, as industrialized eastern Ukraine is called.