Conflict & Security
Kryvyi Rig shopping centre strike kills 16, Ukraine says
Ukrainian officials said Russian drone strikes on a busy shopping centre in Kryvyi Rig killed 16 people and wounded 130 on Friday, including 23 children.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned what he called an “absolutely cynical and despicable strike” on an ordinary shopping centre in his hometown. He said a second drone hit the roof of the building about half an hour after the first and accused Russia of targeting emergency responders.
Ukrainian emergency services had initially said 15 people were killed. Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, later said the death toll had risen to 16.
Videos on social media showed rescuers helping injured people outside as smoke came from the building.
Interior Minister Ivan Vygivsky said four more people, including three minors, were killed in another strike in the southern Mykolaiv region.
Kryvyi Rig is an industrial city about 60 kilometres from the front line and has come under repeated Russian attacks during the war.
Ukraine's allies are due to meet on Monday to reaffirm support for Kyiv. The Coalition of the Willing meeting is to be co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. An EU official said around 10 leaders, including European Council chief Antonio Costa, would be in Kyiv.
Zelensky urged stronger pressure on Russia and said he had spoken with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about Russian strikes and civilian casualties.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the Kryvyi Rig strike and threatened what she called the most far-reaching Russia sanctions listings since the start of the war. She accused Moscow of wanting to make Ukrainian cities unliveable.
The United Nations reported that Ukraine's civilian death toll in 2026 had risen to its highest level since the first months of the war.
Update
Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said the death toll from the Kryvyi Rig shopping centre strike had risen to 16.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 August 2026 at 22:46:07 UTC.
Update
Ukraine's allies are due to meet on Monday to reaffirm support for Kyiv.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham are to co-chair the Coalition of the Willing meeting.
An EU official said around 10 leaders, including European Council chief Antonio Costa, would be in Kyiv for the coalition meeting.
Zelensky said he spoke with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about Russian strikes and civilian casualties.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas threatened what she called the most far-reaching Russia sanctions listings since the start of the war.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 August 2026 at 20:45:24 UTC.
Update
The European Union's top diplomat said the latest Russian strikes in Ukraine showed the "utter depravity of Moscow's war".
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 August 2026 at 20:26:01 UTC.
Update
Ukrainian emergency services said the Kryvyi Rig shopping centre strike killed 15 people, up from 14 previously reported.
Ukrainian emergency services said 130 people were wounded, including 23 children.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 August 2026 at 19:29:06 UTC.
Update
Ukrainian officials said the Kryvyi Rig shopping centre strike killed 14 people and wounded 121.
Oleksandr Ganzha said drone strikes triggered fires in the shopping centre.
Volodymyr Zelensky said a second drone hit the roof about half an hour after the first and was aimed at emergency responders.
Interior Minister Ivan Vygivsky said another strike in Mykolaiv region killed four people, including three minors.
Ukraine's allies were due to meet on Monday to reaffirm support for Kyiv.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 August 2026 at 18:04:54 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The casualty figures are attributed to Ukrainian officials and may be updated again.
The supplied material does not include an independent confirmation of responsibility for the strikes.
The social media videos are described as showing the aftermath, but their verification status is not specified.
Source
AFP news report published on .