Russian Drone Attack on Kryvyi Rih Mall Kills Six, Injures 91

A Russian drone attack on a shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday killed at least six people and wounded 91 others, according to local authorities. Among the injured were six children, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the regional administration, who added that the rescue operation was ongoing and the death toll could rise.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who hails from Kryvyi Rih, said the attack was a "double tap" — an initial drone strike followed by a second wave targeting rescue workers as they arrived at the scene. In a social media post, he described the assault as "nothing less than terrorist acts."

The city has been a repeated target during the conflict, which has now lasted more than four years. One of the deadliest attacks on Kryvyi Rih occurred in April 2025, when 20 people, including nine children, were killed.

Friday's strike came just 24 hours after a massive Russian aerial assault on Kyiv, involving scores of missiles and drones, killed at least 16 people. Moscow has recently intensified ballistic missile attacks on the capital, exploiting Ukraine's shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors — the only system capable of shooting down such missiles.

Large-scale Russian strikes have become increasingly frequent this summer. Just over two weeks ago, an attack on Kyiv and its surroundings killed 17 people, and nine were killed in the city two days before that. The United Nations reported last week that Kyiv was among the hardest-hit cities in July, with at least 54 civilians killed and 202 injured.