Russian Drone Attack on Ukrainian Shopping Center Kills Five, Injures 67, Officials Report
Image source, State Emergency Service of Ukraine
Ukrainian officials have reported that a Russian drone attack on a shopping center in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region, resulted in the deaths of five people and injured 67 others.
Interior Minister Ivan Vylihabski stated the attack struck shops and vehicles in broad daylight “while people were crowding the streets.”
Earlier this week, Ukrainian media reported that two other shopping centers in the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Sumy were also targeted by Russian airstrikes.
The Russian side reported a Ukrainian sea drone attack on the famous Sochi resort on Wednesday night, resulting in three deaths and 28 injuries.
A full-scale war continues between Russia and Ukraine since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion approximately four and a half years ago.
Positive progress has been observed following the dispatch of representatives by US President Donald Trump to negotiate with Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv as part of a new peace initiative.
Images released by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service show firefighters directing water onto burning vehicles on the streets of Pavlohrad amid smoke-filled scenes.
Regional Governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported via Telegram that among the 67 injured are eight children.
President Zelensky expressed condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died in Thursday’s attack.
Back-to-Back Attacks
In a statement, the Ukrainian president said, “The Russians used drones to kill people standing near the shopping center.”
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha characterized the drone strikes as a “strategy to force Ukraine into negotiations,” adding, “Russia seeks to wear out Ukrainians and compel agreement by continuously attacking civilians.”
Pavlohrad near Dnipro has experienced significant attacks before; last month, two people died in a warehouse strike in the same area.
Ukrainian officials also reported that a Russian drone strike on a shopping center in Sumy on Wednesday caused two deaths and injured 20. On Thursday, a Russian air bomb attack in Sumy injured eight people, including three children.
Following the attacks, management in the partially Russian-occupied regional capital of Zaporizhzhia confirmed that a shopping center there was completely destroyed in Monday’s shelling.
Last month, Ukrainian officials reported at least 16 deaths and 130 injuries from a Russian drone attack in the city of Kryvyi Rih.
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