New Delhi: Russia Monday targeted a crowded shopping mall in a Ukrainian city far away from the eastern frontlines, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy reportedly said the building, in the city of Kremenchuk in Poltava oblast, had 1,000 people inside when the strike took place. The attack came a day after multiple missile strikes were reported in Kyiv.
On his Telegram account, Zelenskyy shared a 10-second video of the shopping mall, which is seen in flames and covered in smoke, with firefighters at the scene. The video, as well as the exact number of casualties, are yet to be independently verified.
“The mall is on fire, rescuers are fighting the fire, the number of victims is impossible to imagine. No danger to the Russian army. No strategic value. Only the attempt of people to live a normal life, which so angers the occupiers,” Zelenskyy said.
“Russia continues to place its powerlessness on ordinary citizens. It is useless to hope for adequacy and humanity.”
News agency Reuters quoted the regional governor as pegging the death toll at at least 10 late Monday evening.
The alleged attack coincides with the G7 Summit in Germany, where the war has been at the top of the agenda.
Zelenskyy had addressed the summit via video conferencing earlier Monday, reiterating the need for military aid, with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan telling the Associated Press that the Ukrainian President’s primary request was for “further air defence systems”.
The timing of the strikes Sunday — ahead of the G7 Summit and a NATO meeting this week in Spain — was reportedly described by Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko as “symbolic aggression”.
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