Zelensky vows response after Russian strike on Kryvyi Rih shopping center kills at least 16

Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, August 22, 2026 — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to respond after a Russian drone attack on a shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih killed at least 16 people and injured around 130 others.

The attack occurred on Friday in Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, which has repeatedly been targeted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Emergency crews continued searching through the rubble as several people remained unaccounted for.

Zelensky said the attack involved two waves of drones, with the second strike coming about 30 minutes after the first attack and targeting emergency responders who had arrived to deal with the resulting fire.

“The attack drones struck in two waves: half an hour after the first strike and the resulting fire, there was a second strike targeting emergency responders,” Zelensky said in a message on Telegram.

He described the attack as deliberate and said Ukraine would respond.

Video from the scene showed a drone striking the shopping center and producing a large explosion while smoke from an earlier strike remained visible. Fires spread through shops inside the building as people attempted to escape.

Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih’s city defense council, said several people were still missing. He warned that the death toll could increase because at least 29 of the injured were in serious condition.

Among those seriously injured was a 14-year-old girl who suffered a traumatic brain injury. Four other children were also among the wounded.

The attack came amid an intensification of Russian aerial strikes across Ukraine. Attacks were reported in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Sumy, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Odesa during the same period, with at least nine people killed and 49 others injured, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Ukraine has faced shortages of US-made Patriot air defence interceptors, which are among the country's most important systems for countering ballistic missile attacks. Kyiv has repeatedly urged its allies to provide additional air defence equipment as Russia increases its aerial campaign.