At least 16 people were killed and 130 wounded after Russian drones struck a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, in what officials describe as a deliberate “double-tap” attack targeting emergency responders.
Rescue crews are still combing through the wreckage of a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, central Ukraine, after a Russian drone strike killed at least 16 people and wounded more than 130 others on Friday, in an attack President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to answer.
A Deliberate “Double-Tap” Attack
Officials say the strike wasn’t a single event, but a calculated two-stage assault specifically designed to endanger emergency responders. Writing on Telegram, Zelensky explained that the attacking drones struck in two separate waves: an initial strike followed by a fire, and then, roughly half an hour later, a second strike aimed directly at the emergency workers who had arrived to help.
This tactic, commonly referred to as a “double-tap” strike, is designed to maximize casualties by targeting the very people responding to an initial attack. Zelensky described the assault as an “act of barbarism” and pledged that Ukraine “will definitely respond.”
The Scale of the Damage
Kryvyi Rih, which happens to be Zelensky’s hometown, has now been targeted multiple times throughout the more than four-year-long war. Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha confirmed that 22 children were among those wounded in the daytime attack, with 29 people currently in serious condition, including five children.
In an update released early Saturday, Hanzha said nine people remained preliminarily unaccounted for, including two children, as rescuers continued clearing rubble from the site. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s defense council, confirmed that several people remained missing and could not be reached as search operations continued. Video from the scene showed thick black smoke pouring from what had been a large shopping and industrial building, with people rushing to escape as smoke filled the interior of the center.
Part of a Broader, Escalating Pattern
Friday’s attack on Kryvyi Rih wasn’t an isolated incident. In a separate strike the same day, at least four people, including three children, were killed and a woman wounded after a Russian drone attack in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region, according to Ukrainian state media.
The mall strike also came just one day after a large-scale Russian attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region killed at least 17 people. Taken together, these attacks reflect what officials describe as a broader intensification of Russia’s aerial campaign against Ukraine as the war grinds toward its four-and-a-half-year mark.
Ukraine’s Ongoing Air Defense Shortfall
Compounding the danger from these escalating strikes, Ukraine continues to face a critical shortage of US-made Patriot air defense interceptors — currently the only system in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of shooting down Russian ballistic missiles. That shortfall has left Ukrainian cities increasingly exposed to exactly the kind of large-scale drone and missile attacks seen this week.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha renewed calls for allies to provide additional missile interceptors and impose further sanctions on Russia’s military-industrial complex following the Kryvyi Rih strike. “Russia must be denied both the ability to produce these means of terror and the ability to use them,” he said.
Ukraine’s Own Strikes Continue as Well
While Russia escalates its air campaign against Ukrainian cities, Ukraine has simultaneously stepped up its own long-range strikes against Russian territory, continuing to target oil facilities and logistics infrastructure in an effort to undermine Moscow’s capacity to sustain the war. That parallel campaign has, in recent months, disabled a significant share of Russia’s oil refining capacity, even as Russia’s own strikes against Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure have continued largely unabated.
A City With a Painful History
This isn’t the first time a Ukrainian shopping mall has been the target of a deadly Russian strike. In June 2022, a Russian missile attack on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk killed at least 18 people, an attack that drew condemnation from G7 leaders at the time as “abominable.” Friday’s strike on Kryvyi Rih echoes that earlier tragedy, underscoring a recurring pattern of civilian infrastructure coming under direct fire throughout the course of the war.
What Happens Next
With search-and-rescue operations still actively underway and several people still unaccounted for, Ukrainian officials expect the confirmed death toll to potentially rise further as rescue crews continue clearing the site. Zelensky’s pledge of a response, combined with renewed diplomatic appeals for additional air defense support, signals that both the military and diplomatic fallout from this attack are likely to continue playing out in the days ahead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a “double-tap” strike? A double-tap strike refers to a tactic where an initial attack is followed by a second, deliberately timed strike aimed at the emergency responders and rescue workers who arrive to help those affected by the first attack.
Q: How many people were killed and injured in the Kryvyi Rih strike? At least 16 people were killed and more than 130 others were wounded, including at least 22 children, according to regional officials.
Q: Why was Kryvyi Rih targeted? Kryvyi Rih is President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown and has been targeted by Russian strikes multiple times throughout the war, though officials have not specified a particular strategic reason for this specific attack.
Q: Are people still missing after the attack? Yes. As of Saturday morning, nine people remained preliminarily unaccounted for, including two children, as rescue crews continued clearing rubble from the site.
Q: Is this part of a larger pattern of Russian attacks? Yes. The strike came just one day after a separate Russian attack killed 17 people in Kyiv, and coincided with another deadly drone strike in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region the same day, reflecting an intensifying Russian aerial campaign against Ukrainian cities.
