Russian drone attack on busy shopping centre kills 14 in Ukraine

Russian drone strikes hit a crowded shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, killing at least 14 people and wounding more than 120. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defence Council, reported on Telegram that the city's largest shopping complex was targeted, igniting a fire.

As of 8 p.m. local time, 14 fatalities were confirmed, with 121 individuals injured, including 22 children. Of those injured, 29 were in critical condition. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the attack on his hometown, calling it "cynical and despicable."

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Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts.

Zelenskyy stated that a second Russian drone struck the shopping center 30 minutes after the first, alleging a deliberate attempt to target emergency services. "Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts," Zelenskyy declared on Telegram, urging global accountability for Russia. "The world must respond to them accordingly – with real pressure on the aggressor. For peace to be possible, Russia must face real accountability," he added.

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The world must respond to them accordingly – with real pressure on the aggressor. For peace to be possible, Russia must face real accountability.

Meanwhile, separate Russian attacks in the Mykolaiv region claimed the lives of four people, including three children, according to the country's Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi. Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera's Audrey Macalpine noted that the attack on Kryvyi Rih's second-largest mall had generated widespread outrage, with some labeling it a "blatant act of terror."

While it remained unclear if the mall was the specific intended target, video footage suggested a deliberate attack. Macalpine also pointed out Ukraine's recent increase in attacks on Russian online retailer Wildberries' warehouses, which had drawn Moscow's ire. Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city near the front lines, has faced repeated Russian assaults throughout the war. Russia has intensified its bombardments of Ukrainian cities in recent months, while Ukraine has also escalated its own attacks on Russian targets.

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Some are calling it a blatant act of terror, saying Ukraine must respond to it accordingly.