- Tiffany Wertheimer
- BBC correspondent
VIDEO: Shopping mall attacked in Ukraine surrounded by flames
A missile attacked a shopping mall in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, killing at least 16 people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack took place at about 15:50 local time (12:50 GMT), and it was estimated that about 1,000 civilians were in the bustling mall at the time.
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) group of the most developed countries, who are meeting in Germany, have condemned the attack as a “bad” attack.
“Indiscriminate attacks against innocent civilians constitute war crimes,” they said in a joint statement.
Russia has been blamed for the attack. The incident also injured at least 59 people, and there are fears that the death toll will continue to increase.
Photos circulating online showed the building submerged in flames and thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as one of the “most brazen acts of terrorism in European history”.
He said the mall was of no strategic value to Russia and did not pose a danger to its military — “there were just people who wanted to live a normal life, and that angered those who were occupiers.”
“Only utterly deranged terrorists would use missiles to strike such a target, and they should disappear from the face of the earth,” he added.
The Kremlin has not responded to the attack and has long denied targeting civilians.
The governor of the local state, Dmytro Lunin, described the attack as a humanitarian crime. He wrote on the social platform Telegram that it was “an obvious and egregious act of terror against civilians”.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, which updates the casualty figures, said 57 units were organized to fight the fire. Photos posted by the site showed the building’s exterior walls burned black and the roof collapsed.
In a video taken shortly after the attack, a man can be heard calling: “Is anyone alive…is anyone alive?” Ambulances arrived shortly after and took the injured to hospital.
But people were still missing, and as night fell, families gathered at a hotel along the road, where rescuers set up a base to keep up to date with the latest news. Reuters reported that lights and generators had been brought to the scene, allowing rescue teams to continue searching through the night.
The central-eastern Ukrainian city of Kremenchug is about 130 kilometers (81 miles) from the Russian-held area.
live hit
BBC correspondent Sophie Williams (Sophie Williams）
This is Kremenchug, hours after the missile hit the mall, the smell of smoke can still be smelled all over the city.
All that was left was the wrecked shell of the building.
The area was eerily quiet, the only sound coming from rescuers who were moving the rubble, searching for people under the rubble.
An officer informed us that the fire was completely out, but smoke was still coming out of the building.
The mall was hit at 16:00 local time, and it is unclear how many people were inside when it happened. However, there are fears that the death toll will rise.
image source,Ukraine Emergency Services
Hundreds of firefighters were rescued as the attacked building burned for hours
The Ukrainian Air Force Command said the mall was hit by a Kh-22 missile fired by a Tu-22M3 long-range bomber – although the BBC could not verify that information.
“This shopping centre was literally destroyed. In the past we have been attacked on the outer edge of the city, this time in the city centre,” witness Vadym Yudenko told the BBC.
“I’m speechless,” he added. “I can’t imagine this happening in my town.”
The missile attack came as leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom were in Germany for a G7 summit where they were discussing tightening sanctions on Russia, among other issues.
In addition to strongly condemning the attack, Western leaders issued a joint statement saying they would “continue to provide Ukraine with financial, humanitarian and military support, no matter how long it takes”.
Kremenchug is located in Poltava Oblast, Ukraine and is one of the largest industrial cities in Ukraine. According to the 2021 census, the city has a population of nearly 220,000.
This is not the first time the city has been hit by missiles – one was recorded locally in April and another at a nearby oil refinery 10 days ago.
After the mall attack, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called it “the latest in a string of atrocities”, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would strengthen the resolve of Western allies to stand by Ukraine side by side.
“This horrific attack has once again demonstrated the level of brutality and barbarism that will bring the Russian leadership to its knees,” Johnson said.
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