Kryvyi Rih mall attack death toll rises to 16, officials say

The death toll from a Russian drone attack on a shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has risen to 16, according to regional authorities. The strike, which occurred on Friday, also left 130 people injured, including 23 children.

Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, confirmed the updated figures on Friday evening. The attack on the mall was one of three separate Russian strikes across Ukraine that day, with combined attacks in the Mykolaiv and Kharkiv regions bringing the total number of fatalities nationwide to 21.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who hails from Kryvyi Rih, described the assault as a "double-tap" strike. This tactic involves an initial wave of drones hitting a target, followed by a second wave designed to strike rescue workers as they respond to the first attack.

Footage from the scene showed firefighters working inside the damaged building, rescuers clearing debris, and smoke rising from the rubble. Hospital officials reported treating patients with severe, multiple injuries. Alena Klymovich, a hospital director, noted that patients were arriving with damage to multiple systems and organs rather than isolated wounds.

One injured woman, Tatyana Hivrenko, described the moment of the blast: "There was an explosion behind me. The blast wave threw me back, I fell to my knees and then ran away. It cut me from both sides."

Kryvyi Rih has been a repeated target throughout the conflict, now in its fourth year. One of the deadliest attacks on the city occurred in April 2025, when 20 people, including nine children, were killed.