At least 18 dead after Russian missiles hit crowded Ukrainian shopping mall

Missile strikes on a shopping mall
'Charred husk of a shopping complex'
Burning remains
Missile strikes
War crimes
Zelensky speaks
Serious accusations against Russia
'It's useless to hope for decency and humanity from Russia'
Over 1,000 fled
Two explosions
More bodies to be found
Kremenchuk
Between Kyiv and the Donbas
'Ukrainian provocation'
Suspended
Remembering Bucha and others
Missile strikes on a shopping mall

According to DW, at least 18 people have died and 59 have been injured in two missile strikes on a Ukrainian shopping mall located in the industrial city of Kremenchuk on Monday, June 27.

Image: Ukrainian State Emergency Service / Handout

'Charred husk of a shopping complex'

An on-site Reuters correspondent described the “charred husk of a shopping complex with a caved-in roof” and how soldiers and firefighters were trying to pull out survivors from the twisted metal debris.

Image: Ukrainian State Emergency Service / Handout

Burning remains

Thick smoke came out from the burning remains of the structure, making the work of the rescue team more difficult.

Image: Ukrainian State Emergency Service / Handout

Missile strikes

The New York Times reports that this follows a noticeable escalation of missile strikes, with 65 hitting Ukraine during the weekend.

War crimes

Leaders of the G7, which represent the seven wealthiest countries in the world, were gathering in Germany at the time and denounced Russia’s actions as “war crimes”.

Zelensky speaks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, described the missile strike as “one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history”.

Serious accusations against Russia

Zelensky accused Russia of purposely committing the strikes during the shopping mall’s busiest hours to ensure the largest number of victims.

Image: Ukrainian State Emergency Service / Handout

'It's useless to hope for decency and humanity from Russia'

“It is impossible to even imagine the number of victims… It's useless to hope for decency and humanity from Russia”, the Ukrainian leader wrote on Telegram, according to Reuters.

Over 1,000 fled

Zelensky added that more than 1,000 shoppers and mall staff managed to escape.

Image: Ukrainian State Emergency Service / Handout

Two explosions

“I heard a first explosion, then a second and then there was a lot of black smoke”, one of the survivors told DW.

More bodies to be found

Ukrainian authorities, however, have pointed out that there were people inside the rubble and more bodies were expected to be found.

Image: Ukrainian State Emergency Service / Handout

Kremenchuk

DW explains that Kremenchuk, located east of Kyiv, is an important transportation hub and home to the country’s biggest oil refinery.

In the image: Volodymyr Zelensky visiting a railway car factory in Kremenchuk in March 2020.

Between Kyiv and the Donbas

The city, located on the banks of the Dnipro river, has over 200,000 inhabitants and is located halfway between Ukraine’s capital and the Donbas region.

Pictured: The remains of the Amstor Mall, the day after the missile strikes.

'Ukrainian provocation'

Russia's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyanskiy, wrote on Twitter, without citing evidence, that the attack was a “Ukrainian provocation”, as quoted by Reuters.

Suspended

Russia is currently suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Council due to its invasion of Ukraine in February.

Remembering Bucha and others

Other acts during the military conflict, such as the dead civilians found executed in Bucha, have led to mounting accusations against the Kremlin of committing atrocities during this war.

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