The search for survivors of Russia’s devastating attack on a packed retail center in Ukraine continued through the night.
At least one thousand consumers were inside the mall when a Russian missile struck, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called the incident “one of the worst terrorist strikes in European history.”
Russian long-range bombers fired a missile that struck a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Poltava’s principal city, regional governor Dmytro Lunin said. At least 18 people were killed and 59 required medical attention.
He stated that 36 individuals are still missing following the attack.
As rescuers continue to sift the smoldering ruins, determining the number of casualties has proven challenging.
Overnight, according to Mr. Lunin, over a thousand individuals dragged sheets of twisted metal and broken concrete. Several hours after the fire was extinguished, clouds of dark smoke still emanated from the wreckage as drones flew overhead.
The Poltava administration has designated three days of mourning in honor of the victims.
Earlier, President Zelenskyy posted a video to his Facebook page depicting dust and orange flames engulfing the shopping center.
“The attackers fired rockets towards the shopping center, where there were over a thousand citizens… “The number of victims is unfathomable,” commented the president on Facebook.
In a joint statement, the G7 leaders, who met on Monday and pledged to assist Ukraine “for as long as it takes,” condemned the heinous attack on a Kremenchuk shopping center.
Following the incident, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was present at the meeting, condemned the “barbarity” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The United Nations mirrored these comments, describing the act as “disgraceful.” The UN Security Council has planned an extraordinary meeting for Tuesday in New York to discuss the incident, per Ukraine’s request.
Dmitry Polyansky, the first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations, highlighted many anomalies that he did not mention in Russia’s first official statement on the missile strike. He stated on Twitter that Ukraine was responsible for the event.
Mr. Zelenskyy emphasized that the target shopping center posed “no threat to the Russian army” and lacked “strategic value.” He accused Russia of undermining “people’s attempts to live a normal life, which so enrages the invaders.”
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, reported that one missile struck a commercial center and another a sports arena in the city.
According to the Ukrainian military, the shopping center was struck by missiles fired by Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bombers over the Kursk region in western Russia.
Mayor Vitaliy Maletskiy posted on Facebook that the bombing “targeted a densely populated region that had no ties to the military whatsoever.”
The strike occurred as Russia launched a full-scale assault on Lysychansk, the last Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk province.
According to the local governor, Moscow troops were “pouring fire” on Lysychansk from the ground and the air.
The most recent strikes occurred just one day after huge explosions rocked the Ukrainian capital on Sunday morning, leaving a neighboring nursery with a crater in its courtyard.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, stated that one person was murdered, four people were injured and a seven-year-old girl was rescued from the wreckage.
Officials suspect the attack was carried out in an attempt to scare Ukraine ahead of international summits on Monday and in the following days, where support for the country would be a major topic of discussion.
At a G7 conference in Germany on Monday, the world’s largest economic powers agreed to “continue to give financial, humanitarian, and military support for Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Speaking via video link at the conference, President Zelenskyy emphasized the need of aiding Ukraine in its struggle against Russia.
G7 leaders vowed to pursue a cap on the price of Russian oil, increase taxes on Russian imports, and apply more punitive measures.
Boris Johnson stated that the committee was “working” to resolve the current grain situation in Ukraine.
The leaders stated in a statement, “We will not rest until Russia finishes its cruel and foolish war against Ukraine.”
According to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the military alliance will also agree to provide Ukraine with further military support, like secure communication and anti-drone technology, when they meet in Spain for a summit.
