Kryvyi Rig mall strike kills five, wounds 91, Ukraine says

A Russian drone strike on a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rig killed five people and wounded 91 on Friday, Ukrainian officials said, as President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of carrying out a repeat strike aimed at emergency responders.

Zelensky said five deaths had been reported and called the attack “cynical and despicable.” Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional military administration, said 21 of the wounded were seriously injured and that shops inside the mall were on fire.

Zelensky said a second drone hit the roof of the building about half an hour after the first strike and had “targeted the emergency responders.” Videos on social media showed rescuers helping wounded people outside as smoke rose from the building.

Kryvyi Rig, Zelensky's hometown, has come under repeated Russian attacks during the war. The industrial city is about 60 kilometres from the front line.

Russia has increased bombardments of Ukrainian cities in recent months. The United Nations has reported that civilian deaths in 2026 have risen to the highest level since the first months of the war.

Zelensky urged Ukraine's allies to respond with pressure on Russia. The French president's office said countries allied with Ukraine would meet Monday, on Ukraine's independence day, to reaffirm support for Kyiv.