Photo Credit, Oleksandr Hanzha / Dnipropetrovsk regional administration
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Local officials reported on Saturday morning that the latest Russian attacks in Ukraine resulted in at least two deaths.
Officials said that after a ballistic missile warning was issued in Kyiv, a fire broke out in a warehouse, causing one fatality. Additionally, a drone strike in the city of Zaporizhzhia resulted in another death.
Earlier on Friday, a ‘double-tap’ drone attack on a busy shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih claimed 16 lives. Nine people remain missing from the incident.
Typically, a ‘double-tap’ drone strike involves a planned second drone attack minutes after the initial one targets the same location.
The assault on the city’s largest shopping mall injured 130 people, including 23 children.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack in his hometown as “completely despicable and hateful,” emphasizing that the attack occurred in “two stages.” According to him, the second strike targeted rescue and emergency service workers at the scene.
Video footage verified by news organizations shows a second drone hitting the already burning shopping center in the Dnipropetrovsk region. There has been no response from the Russian military regarding the attack.
Oleksandr Hanzha, the regional head, had earlier confirmed 15 fatalities on Friday evening from the incident.
Among the deceased are two people who died while receiving hospital treatment. Rescue teams recovered another body from the rubble during ongoing search and recovery efforts, according to Hanzha’s Telegram update.
He also stated that nine individuals remain missing within the shopping center, including two children.
Out of the 130 injured, 29 are reported to be in critical condition. Authorities fear the death toll may rise further.
To enhance search and rescue operations, additional teams from four other Ukrainian regions have been deployed.
Prior to this, Kryvyi Rih’s mayor, Oleksandr Vilkul, noted that the Russian drones were flying at “very low altitudes.” He condemned the attackers, calling them “animals.”
“Some people are missing and not answering their phones,” the mayor added.
Photo Credit, DSNS / Dnipropetrovsk region
Meanwhile, local authorities have reported that four people, including three children, were killed in separate Russian attacks in southern Mykolaiv, while two more deaths occurred in northeastern Kharkiv.
Regional officials in southern city Zaporizhzhia reported three injuries from a drone explosion near a taxi.
The day before, a major Russian missile and drone strike on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv resulted in 17 deaths and over 40 injuries.
Local officials stated that overnight attacks hit apartments and warehouses across the city, also causing damage to a children’s hospital and school.
Earlier on Friday, the Ukrainian military claimed strikes on an oil refinery and a military airbase deep inside Russia.
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified attacks targeting Russian energy infrastructure and warehouses of Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries.
Kyiv states that these targets are legitimate because they provide financial support to Russia’s war efforts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Currently, approximately one-fifth of southeastern Ukraine remains under Russian control.
