Footage of the moment a deadly Russian missile hit a shopping center in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk has been shared by the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The strike left at least 18 people dead in the mall alone. 59 others were injured and 25 were hospitalized while 36 other people are missing.
Mr Zelensky released the harrowing video as part of his evening speech, in which he claimed a total of 2,811 missiles had been launched against towns across the war-torn country.
Footage shows a huge plume of black smoke covering the center immediately after the missile hit.
“The Russian missile hit this object, deliberately. They wanted to kill as many people as possible in a peaceful town, in an ordinary shopping mall,” Mr. Zelensky said.
Footage of the moment a Russian missile hit a shopping mall in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk has been shared by the country’s president
(via Reuters)
On Wednesday, Pope Francis called the bombing “the latest in a series of ‘barbaric attacks’ against Ukraine.
“Every day I carry in my heart dear and martyred Ukraine, which continues to be scourged by barbaric attacks like the one that hit the commercial center of Kremenchuk,” Francis told the crowd in St. Peter’s Square during of the feast of Saints Peter and Paul.
“I pray that this crazy war can soon end and I renew my call to persevere without fatigue in prayer for peace.
According to those who cleared the rubble at the site, 60% of the mall was destroyed by the strike with more than 400 workers taking part in the effort.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in an intelligence update on Wednesday that there is a “realistic possibility” that the mall attack was accidental because the missile was aimed at a “nearby infrastructure target”.
The statement added: “The shortage of more modern precision strike weapons in Russia and the professional shortcomings of their targeting planners will most likely result in further civilian casualties.”
60% of the mall was destroyed by the strike with over 400 workers helping in the effort
(Ukrainian State Emergency Service)
The Moscow Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the mall fire was caused by “the explosion of stored ammunition for Western weapons,” the Moscow Defense Ministry said, but did not provide any evidence to back up his claims.
He added: “On June 27, in the city of Kremenchuk, the Russian Aerospace Forces launched a strike with high-precision air weapons on hangars with weapons and ammunition received from the United States and European countries.
As a result of a high-precision strike, Western-made weapons and ammunition concentrated in a storage area for later shipment to the group of Ukrainian troops in Donbass were hit. The detonation of ammunition stored for Western weapons caused a fire in a non-functional shopping center next to the factory.
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The Independent Gt