Russian ‘double-tap’ strike on Ukraine shopping centre kills 14, wounds dozens

• At least 14 people were killed and over 120 wounded, including 22 children, in a double drone strike on a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.
• President Zelensky condemned the attack as a "double tap" targeting emergency responders and called it a terrorist act demanding global accountability.
• Ukraine faces rising civilian casualties amid intensified Russian air attacks, with allies set to meet on Aug 24 to reaffirm support for Kyiv.

KYIV - At least 14 people were killed and more than 120 wounded on Aug 21 when two Russian drones struck a shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, authorities said.

Twenty-two children were among the wounded in the daytime attack on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on the Telegram messaging app.

“There are 29 people in serious condition, including five children,” he said.

Videos on social media showed rescuers rushing to help the wounded on the street outside, as smoke poured out of the building.

Then, a second drone then smashed into the roof of the building around half an hour later - a repeat strike - a “double tap” - that had “targeted the emergency responders”, said Zelensky.

Zelensky called the attack “absolutely cynical and despicable”.

“Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts,” Zelensky said on Telegram, urging the world to hold Russia to account.

Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih has come under repeated Russian attacks throughout the war.

The industrial city lies roughly 60km from the front line.

Russia is escalating its air war on Ukraine as fighting on the battlefield grinds towards the four and a half years mark.

On Aug 20, 17 people were killed in a Russian ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

The United Nations reported that the civilian death toll in 2026 had risen to its highest level since the first months of the war.

Zelensky urged a strong response from Ukraine’s allies.

“The world must respond to them accordingly – with real pressure on the aggressor. For peace to be possible, Russia must face real accountability,” he said.

Ukraine has also stepped up its own attacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities and logistics infrastructure to try to undermine Moscow’s ability to wage war.

Countries allied with Ukraine will meet on Aug 24 to reaffirm support for Kyiv, in talks held on Ukraine’s independence day, the French president’s office announced on Aug 21. REUTERS, AFP