Russia’s Shopping Mall Strike on Zelensky’s Hometown Kills 2, Injures 15 as Rescue Continues

Russia struck the largest shopping mall in central Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih with multiple drones on Friday afternoon, killing at least and injuring over a dozen.

Local media channels shared photos and footage of the attack, suggesting the Solnechnaya Galereya mall in the city was struck by multiple drones.

Videos circulating online show bloodied civilians being carried off from the scene of the attack.

Medics were seen attending to those injured by the attack.

Oleksandr Vikul, the head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, confirmed the attack at 4:39 p.m. and said “many people are visually injured.”

Vikul later said the mall was repeatedly attacked by jet-powered Shahed drones “flying at extremely low altitudes” and cautioned about potential follow-up strikes.

Oleksandr Hanzha, the head of the region’s military administration, said at 5:11 p.m. that two were confirmed dead while 15 were confirmed injured before adding that casualty numbers are likely to increase.

Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky, which has been one of the many cities targeted by Russian strikes during Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On Aug. 16, a Russian attack on ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine’s largest foreign-invested steelmaker, killed two workers and forced a partial shutdown of production.

One of the deadliest strikes on the city took place in April 2025, when a children’s playground was hit, killing at least 18 and injuring over two dozens.