A Russian missile strike struck a busy shopping mall in central Ukraine’s Kremenchuk on 27 June, igniting fears of mass casualties. As per a Reuters report, at least 16 people were killed and 59 others injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that about 1,000 people were present in the mall before the air raid was announced. Visuals of the burning complex have gone viral. Oiver Carroll, a correspondent for The Economist shared a horrifying video from the scene. “Horror scenes in Kremenchuk, as a Russian missile hits a shopping centre. The man speaking on phone : ‘people were are the building, the walls are starting to fall in’,” Carroll wrote in caption.
The video shows thick clouds of smoke billowing out of the building. The mall was ablaze in flames while firefighters and soldiers tried to douse the fire and search for survivors. Ukraine’s air force command told Reuters that the mall was hit by two long-range X-22 missiles fired by Tu-22M3 bombers which flew from Shaykovka airfield located in Kaluga region, Russia. The airstrike on the mall comes just as the Group of Seven or G7 meet is underway in Germany. The group has announced to support Ukraine for “for as long as it takes”. The UK, Japan, Canada and US have further announced to ban new imports of Russian gold. Western nations have condemned the attack, with US President Joe Biden stating that the United States and its allies will continue to hold Russia accountable for such attacks. “Russia’s attack on civilians at a shopping mall is cruel. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. As demonstrated at the G7 Summit, the U.S. along with our allies and partners will continue to hold Russia accountable for such atrocities and support Ukraine’s defense,” Biden wrote.
However, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations wrote on Twitter that the attack was a “Ukrainian provocation.” He did not give any evidence to back up his claims. Kremenchuk hosts Ukraine’s biggest oil refinery. The city had a population of 217,000 before the Russian invasion. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .