military

Russian Double-Tap Drone Strike on Kryvyi Rih Shopping Mall Kills at Least 16, Injures 130

| Ukraine

Russian forces struck the 'Sunny Gallery' shopping and entertainment center in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast — President Zelensky's hometown — with jet-powered Shahed-type drones flying at extremely low altitude at around 16:30. A second drone hit the same building roughly 30 minutes later, while firefighters and medics were already responding, in what Ukrainian officials described as a deliberate 'double-tap' strike targeting rescuers. At least 16 people were killed (early reports cited 14-15 as the toll rose overnight) and 130 injured, including 23 children, with 29 in serious condition. Fire engulfed roughly a third of the complex; nine people, including two children, remained missing as rescuers dug through the wreckage. Zelensky called it 'an absolutely cynical and vile strike... against an ordinary shopping center' and 'simply an act of terrorism,' vowing a response and urging the international community to increase pressure on Russia.

Aftermath of the double-tap drone strike on the 'Sunny Gallery' shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, August 21, 2026
Aftermath of the double-tap drone strike on the 'Sunny Gallery' shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, August 21, 2026 — Ukrinform