Six killed, over 100 injured: Details emerge of Russia's strike on mall in Zelenskyy's hometown
Photo: Russia struck Kryvyi Rih (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Russian forces attacked Kryvyi Rih’s largest shopping mall with attack drones during the day on August 21. There were many people inside the building at the time of the attack.
Details of the aftermath of the brutal Russian war crime are in the RBC-Ukraine report below.
Key points:
Two strikes on the mall: Russian forces attacked the Soniachna Halleria shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih twice with attack drones.
Many people inside: There were many visitors inside the shopping mall at the time of the attack.
Dead and injured: Five people were killed in the strike, while another 103 civilians were injured.
Attack on Kryvyi Rih
At around 4:35 p.m., Telegram channels reported that Russian forces had struck the Soniachna Halleria shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih.
Reports also said that many people had been injured in the attack.
Just minutes later, Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, confirmed the attack on the city’s largest shopping mall. According to him, the enemy used a drone to carry out the strike, which sparked a fire.
Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, also confirmed the attack.
A little later, Vilkul reported that the shopping mall had been hit a second time by a jet-powered Shahed drone.
Videos appeared on Telegram channels showing that the shopping center suffered a direct hit. Footage shared on social media also showed that many people were inside the mall at the time of the attack.
Videos circulating online indicate that Russian drones directly struck the shopping mall in Ukraine's Kryvyi Rih pic.twitter.com/HCDhvD5buO
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) August 21, 2026
Dead and injured
Initially, Vilkul and Hanzha reported that 12 people had been injured and one person had been killed as a result of the Russian attack.
As of 6:00 p.m., five people were known to have been killed in the Russian attack. Fifty-two civilians were injured, including six children.
Photo: A fire broke out after the Russian strike on the shopping mall (t.me/dnipropetrovskaODA)
According to Vilkul, 20 people were in serious condition and had been taken to operating rooms.
Updated at 6:23 p.m.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said that the number of people injured in the attack on the shopping mall had risen to 91.
Updated at 6:43 p.m.
According to Vilkul, the death toll from the strike on Kryvyi Rih has risen to six. A 43-year-old man died in hospital.
He added that the emergency rescue operation was ongoing and that the number of casualties could rise.
Updated at 7:05 p.m.
Vilkul said that 103 people are now known to have been injured in the Russian strike. Eleven of them are children.
Twenty-seven people are in serious condition, including three children.
The head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council added that a 14-year-old girl with a traumatic brain injury is being transferred to the regional children’s hospital.
Updated at 7:14 p.m.
Investigative and operational police teams, bomb disposal experts, medical personnel and representatives of relevant services are working at the site of the attack.
Photo: Russia strikes a shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih (t.me/UA_National_Police)
Photo: Russia strikes a shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih (t.me/UA_National_Police)
Photo: Russia strikes a shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih (t.me/UA_National_Police)
Photo: Russia strikes a shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih (t.me/UA_National_Police)
Law enforcement officers are already assessing the extent of the destruction and damage.
Criminal investigation
The Prosecutor General’s Office said that criminal proceedings had been launched over the commission of a war crime under the procedural supervision of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Photo: aftermath of the attack on Kryvyi Rih (t.me/dnipr_gp_gov_ua)
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, in turn, pointed out that Russia deliberately chose the shopping mall as a target and that civilians are one of the enemy’s targets in its war against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s reaction
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the Russian strike was "absolutely cynical and despicable." The drones attacked in two waves, with a 30-minute interval between the strikes.
Photo: aftermath of the attack on Kryvyi Rih (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: aftermath of the attack on Kryvyi Rih (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: aftermath of the attack on Kryvyi Rih (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: aftermath of the attack on Kryvyi Rih (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
"Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts. And the world must respond to them accordingly – with real pressure on the aggressor. For peace to be possible, Russia must face real accountability," he added.
It should be noted that Russia regularly attacks Kryvyi Rih. In particular, on August 16, Russian forces launched a missile strike on the city, killing one civilian.
