At least 13 killed in Russian missile strike on shopping mall, Ukraine says – Reuters

The regional governor said two Russian missiles slammed into a crowded shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday, killing at least 13 people and wounding 50.

Dmytro Lunin, governor of the central Poltava region, said 13 people had been confirmed killed by the strike, and 21 others had been hospitalized.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 1,000 people were in the shopping center at the time of the attack, which witnesses said caused an enormous fire and sent dark smoke billowing into the sky.

As night began to fall, rescuers brought lights and generators to continue searching for survivors. Worried family members lined up at a hotel across the street from the mall, where rescue workers had set up a base.

Ukraine’s air force command said two long-range X-22 missiles fired from Tu-22M3 bombers that flew from Shaykovka airfield in Russia’s Kaluga region hit a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, in Poltava region, Ukraine, June 27, 2022.

Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN said the attack was a “Ukrainian provocation”.

Vadym Denysenko, an interior ministry adviser, said Russia could have had ulterior motives for the attack.

Russia has stepped up missile strikes across Ukraine, including a kindergarten, in recent days, killing one person and wounding several more.

For more on this story, please consider these sources:

1. At least 11 killed in Russian missile strike on shopping mall, Ukraine says – Reuters
2. Scenes of Horror as Putin Hits Mall With ‘1000 People’ Inside – The Daily Beast
3. Russia fired rockets at Ukraine mall containing ‘more than a thousand civilians,’ Zelenskyy says – Fox News
4. Russian missiles hit Kyiv as G7 summit begins in Europe – CNN
5. Russian strike hits Kremenchuk shopping center with more than 1,000 civilians inside, Ukraine says – NBC News
6. View Full Coverage on Google News