Russian strike kills 15 at shopping mall in Zelenskyy's hometown

Russian drones struck a shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, on Friday, killing at least 15 people and wounding 130, including 23 children, authorities reported. The attack, described by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an "absolute Russian atrocity" and "monsters," involved a double-tap strike where an initial wave of drones hit the area, followed by a second wave as rescue workers responded.

Kryvyi Rih, located in central Ukraine, is Zelenskyy's hometown. This latest strike adds to the ongoing civilian casualties in the conflict. On the same day, separate Russian attacks in the Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions resulted in the deaths of four people, including three children, and two women, respectively.

These attacks occurred just 24 hours after Russia launched a significant aerial assault on the capital, Kyiv, which killed 16 people. Ukraine's air force reported shooting down or suppressing 107 out of 135 drones launched by Russia overnight. The intensified Russian strikes this summer, including recent attacks on Kyiv that killed 17 and nine people respectively, highlight Ukraine's struggle with a shortage of defensive systems, particularly U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors, which are crucial for downing ballistic missiles.

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An absolute Russian atrocity. They're just monsters.