A Russian drone attack on a shopping mall in the south-central Ukrainian city of Kryviy Rih killed at least 15 people and left more than 100 others injured, including several children, local authorities said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a native of Kryviy Rih, called the attack "cynical and despicable," saying it came in two waves, with secondary drone strikes targeting emergency response efforts.
"There was smoke. Everyone was shouting," Yuliana, a mall employee, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.
She said the attack caused parts of the ceiling to collapse in a parking garage where some shoppers and staff had sought shelter during an air-raid alert, and that a car was blocking the entrance, forcing people to climb over metal barriers.
"I was afraid there might be another strike. I wondered what I would do. I have a young child," Yuliana said.
Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said shops inside the mall were set ablaze by the attack, and posted pictures showing thick black smoke rising from the facility amid high-rise residential buildings.
Hanzha put the number of injured at 130, including 23 children. Kryviy Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul wrote on Telegram that a 14-year-old girl was being transferred to the regional children's hospital with a traumatic brain injury.
"Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "The world must respond to them accordingly -- with real pressure on the aggressor."
The attack "shows the absolute and utter depravity of Moscow’s war," EU foreign and security policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X. "This is terror by design. Russia wants to make Ukrainian cities unlivable."
The attack comes after a series of other Russian air strikes on Ukrainian cities this week.
A day earlier, Russia launched a large barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones at Kyiv, killing at least 17 people in and around the capital.
Gaining little ground at the front line in Ukraine since the beginning of the year, Moscow has intensified its strikes against the country, often hitting civilian infrastructure and causing civilian casualties.
Ukraine has sought to bolster its air-defense capabilities with help from the United States and its European partners, but is struggling with a lack of US-made Patriot missiles. Washington has sent mixed signals about a potential agreement to grant Kyiv a license to produce Patriots.
Separately, since the beginning of summer, Kyiv has been actively responding to Russian attacks by targeting oil and military infrastructure inside Russia, leaving the country facing its worst fuel crisis in years.
In its latest effort, the Ukrainian military on August 21 targeted a Russian oil facility in Perm, more than 1,600 kilometers from the Russia's border with Ukraine, and a military air base in the Volgograd region.
"We continue, through our long-range sanctions, to bring the consequences of the war back to where it came from," Zelenskyy said following Kyiv's attacks.
Diplomatic efforts to end Russia's more than four-year full-scale war against Ukraine have stalled in recent months, with the United States largely focused on the conflict with Iran and turmoil in the Middle East.
With frequent air attacks continuing and no easing on the front line, Kyiv and Moscow remain far apart in their negotiating positions, as the Kremlin maintains its hard-line stance and offers no compromise over control of Ukraine’s key eastern region of Donetsk.
