SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (AP) – Dozens of civilians were killed or wounded in a Russian missile strike on Monday in a crowded shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, Ukrainian authorities said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Telegram that the death toll was “unimaginable”, citing reports that more than 1,000 civilians were inside during the attack. Photos from the scene show giant jets of black smoke from a mall engulfed in flames as ambulance crews rushed in and spectators watched in distress.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said at least 20 civilians were injured and two were killed.
Zelensky said the target did not pose a “threat to the Russian army” and “has no strategic value.” He accused Russia of sabotaging “people’s attempts to live normal lives, which make the occupiers so angry”.
The alleged Russian missile strike echoed attacks earlier in the war that killed a large number of civilians, such as one in March at a theater in Mariupol, where many civilians had taken refuge, killing approximately 600, and another in April at a station in Mariupol. eastern Kramatorsk, killing at least 59 people.
“Russia continues to bring its impotence to ordinary civilians. It is useless to hope for decency and humanity on his part, “Zelenski said.
Mayor Vitaly Maletsky wrote on Facebook that the attack “affected a very crowded place, which is 100% certain that it has no connection with the armed forces.”
The attack came when Russia launched a comprehensive attack on the last Ukrainian fortress in the province of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, “pouring fire” on the city of Lisichansk from the ground and air, according to the local governor.
Russian forces appear to be stepping up further strikes on the country after forcing Ukrainian troops to leave the neighboring city of Severodonetsk in recent days.
Meanwhile, Western leaders have promised firm and sustained support for Kyiv. NATO will agree to provide additional military support to Ukraine – including secure communications and anti-drone systems – when its leaders gather in Spain for a summit, according to Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The battle of Severodonetsk and Lisichansk is part of an intensified Russian offensive to wrest the wider Donbass region from Ukraine.
In the west, meanwhile, the mayor of Slavyansk – potentially the next major battlefield – said Russian forces had fired cluster munitions at the city after dawn, including one that struck a residential area.
Authorities say the death toll has not yet been confirmed. The Associated Press saw a death: a man’s body lay hunched over the frame of the car door, his blood dripping to the ground from wounds to his chest and head.
The blast blew most of the windows in the surrounding apartment blocks and cars parked below, scattering the ground with broken glass.
“Everything is destroyed now. We are the only people left living in this part of the building. There is no electricity, “said local resident Valentina Vitkovska in tears as she spoke about the blast. “I can’t even call to tell others what happened to us.”
In all, Zelensky’s office said at least six civilians had been killed and 31 others wounded in intense Russian shelling of various Ukrainian cities in the past 24 hours – including Kyiv and major cities in the south and east of the country, but without the attack in Kremenchuk is counted.
It says Russian forces fired rockets that killed two people and wounded five at night in and near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, and continued to attack the key southern port of Odessa. A rocket attack destroyed apartment buildings and injured six people, including a child, the statement said.
In Lisichansk, at least five tall buildings in the city and the last road bridge were damaged in the past day, the district governor said. A crucial highway connecting the city with government-controlled territory to the south was made impassable by shelling.
The city had a pre-war population of about 100,000 people, approximately one-tenth of whom remained.
Analysts say the location of Lisichansk high on the banks of the Seversky Donets River gives a great advantage to Ukrainian defenders of the city.
“It’s a very hard nut to crack. The Russians could spend many months and a lot of effort storming Lisichansk, “said military analyst Oleg Zhdanov.
In other events, in the German Bavarian Alps, the leaders of the Group of Seven promised to continue to support Ukraine “as needed.”
In a joint statement Monday following a video session with Zelensky, the leaders emphasized their “unwavering commitment to supporting the government and people of Ukraine in their bold defense of their country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The United States, meanwhile, seemed ready to respond to Zelensky’s call for more air defense systems after Russian troops struck Kyiv with long-range missiles on Sunday. Washington was expected to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Ukraine.
The British Ministry of Defense said that Russia would probably rely more and more on reserve forces in the coming weeks of the war.
Analysts say recruiting Russian reservists could significantly change the balance of the war, but could also have political consequences for President Vladimir Putin’s government.
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Alexander Stashevsky of Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
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