Russian drones hit Kryvyi Rih mall, kill six in double-tap strike

Russian drones struck a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, killing six and injuring 91 people. Ukraine says the double-tap attack targeted rescuers and underscored a deadly summer escalation.

In Short

• Rescue teams continued searching the site as officials warned casualties may rise
• Six children were among the injured, local officials confirmed on Friday
• Zelenskyy described the assault as a double-tap strike targeting rescuers

Russian drones hit a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine on Friday, killing six people and injuring 91 others, authorities said. The afternoon strike hit the city, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and a rescue operation was still under way, with officials warning that the casualty count could rise.

Six children were among the injured, according to local administration head Oleksandr Vilkul. Zelenskyy said the attack was a double tap strike, with one wave of drones hitting the area first and a second wave following as rescue workers responded.

"Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts," Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

Kryvyi Rih has been hit several times during the war, now more than four years old. One of the deadliest attacks on the city came in April 2025, when 20 people, including nine children, were killed.

Friday's strike came 24 hours after Russia launched a large nighttime aerial attack on Kyiv, using scores of missiles and drones and killing at least 16 people. In recent months, Moscow's forces have stepped up ballistic missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital, taking advantage of Ukraine's shortage of US-made Patriot air defence interceptors, the only weapon in its arsenal capable of bringing down those missiles.

Large-scale Russian strikes have become frequent this summer. Just over two weeks ago, a Russian attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region killed 17 people, while nine people were killed in the city two days earlier. The United Nations said last week that Kyiv was among the hardest-hit cities in July, with at least 54 civilians killed and 202 injured.

The latest strike on Kryvyi Rih left six dead and scores injured, including children, as Ukraine faced another major Russian attack amid a summer of repeated large-scale strikes.

With PTI Inputs

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