Russian Drones Hit Zelensky's Hometown Mall, 16 Dead

Russian Drones Hit Zelensky's Hometown Mall, 16 Dead

The News

Russian drones struck a busy shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih — President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown in central Ukraine — killing 16 people and wounding scores more, including children.

The Independent reports the search for survivors is still going, with nine people missing.

Zelensky has vowed revenge for the attack, according to The Independent.

Overnight, Ukrainian drones hit back deep inside Russia, striking an oil refinery in Samara and a warehouse belonging to online retailer Ozon.

Timeline

Friday, Aug. 21:

Two successive Russian drone strikes hit a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih. France 24 reports the day's Russian bombing killed at least 20 people across Ukraine, 16 of them at the shopping centre. Authorities said children were among the scores injured; an earlier France 24 report put the toll at 15 killed and 130 wounded.

Overnight into Saturday, Aug. 22:

Ukrainian drone barrages struck targets deep inside Russia. Yahoo News reports at least six civilians were killed and a warehouse owned by e-commerce company Ozon was hit. Bloomberg reports the barrages also hit an oil refinery in Samara.

Early Saturday, Aug. 22:

Russian strikes killed at least two more people in Ukraine, France 24 reports. A drone killed a man and wounded four in Zaporizhzhia, and a warehouse was burning in Kyiv.

Saturday morning:

Rescue crews continue searching the wreckage of the Kryvyi Rih shopping centre for the nine still missing.

Reactions

Zelensky vowed revenge after the strike on his hometown, The Independent reports.

Ukrainian officials confirmed children were among the wounded at the shopping centre, according to France 24.

Local officials in Zaporizhzhia reported the Saturday drone death and the four wounded there, France 24 reports.

What's Next

The Kryvyi Rih death toll may rise. Nine people are still unaccounted for and the search for survivors was continuing as of Saturday morning.

Both sides are still trading strikes on infrastructure. Bloomberg reports Russia and Ukraine continued to hit each other's facilities overnight, with the Ukrainian barrages reaching targets deep inside Russian territory.

More

Kryvyi Rih is Zelensky's hometown, which is why a strike on a shopping centre there lands as more than another day in the war. Reported death tolls from the attack varied through Friday and Saturday as rescuers worked — France 24 initially reported 14, then 15 dead with 130 wounded, before settling on 16 killed at the centre, the same figure The Independent reports.

The overnight Ukrainian strikes show the war reaching well past the front line: an oil refinery in Samara and a retailer's warehouse, both deep inside Russia.

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