Rescue teams from four Ukrainian regions have been mobilized to search for survivors following a Russian “double-tap” drone strike on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih. The attack, which took place on Friday in the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky, has resulted in at least 16 deaths, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha.
Search for Survivors After Deadly Double-Tap Strike
The assault was carried out in two distinct waves, with the second strike occurring approximately 30 minutes after the first. Officials report that the second wave specifically targeted emergency responders who were attempting to extinguish fires and assist victims of the initial impact. Kryvyi Rih Defence Council head Oleksandr Vilkul stated that the second strike utilized a jet-powered Shahed-type drone, noting that the weapons were flying at extremely low altitudes.
Casualties and Ongoing Rescue Efforts
The death toll reached 16 after rescue workers retrieved an additional body from the rubble early Saturday. Authorities report that at least 130 people were injured in the attack, including 23 children. Among the wounded, 29 individuals—including five children—remain in serious condition.
Search efforts continue at the site of the city’s largest shopping mall, where nine people, including two children, are still reported missing. Officials expressed concerns that the death toll could increase as rescue operations progress. Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, characterized the attack as a deliberate targeting of civilians, noting that the mall was a location where people had gathered for daily business.
President Zelensky condemned the assault as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” and urged the international community to respond with increased pressure on Russia. Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts,
Zelensky wrote on social media.
Broader Context of Recent Escalation
The strike on Kryvyi Rih occurred during a period of intensified aerial bombardment across Ukraine. The attack followed a major Russian missile and drone assault on the capital, Kyiv, just 24 hours earlier, which resulted in at least 16 deaths and over 40 injuries.
Regional authorities reported further violence elsewhere in the country as the conflict continues. In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a drone strike killed one person and injured four. Additionally, local officials confirmed that four people, including three children, were killed in separate attacks in the Mykolaiv region, while two others were killed in the Kharkiv region.
In Kyiv, early Saturday morning, a separate warehouse fire caused by a ballistic missile alert resulted in one death and several injuries, according to the city’s military administration.
Ukraine has responded to the ongoing bombardment by intensifying strikes on Russian infrastructure, including oil refineries and military airfields located deep within Russian territory. Kyiv maintains that these facilities are legitimate targets that provide financial support for the Russian war effort. As of the latest reports, Moscow controls approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory in the south-east, a situation stemming from the full-scale invasion launched by President Vladimir Putin in February 2022.
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