Leaders around the world have denounced Russia’s deadly strike at a shopping center in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, as “abominable” and a war crime, amid growing international outrage over the attack.
Rescue efforts are underway and the search for survivors continues after the missile attack on a crowded shopping center in central Ukraine that had more than 1,000 people at the time, according to President Volodoymyr Zelenskiy.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said that the strike was deliberately scheduled to coincide with the busiest hours of the mall and cause the maximum number of casualties.
So far, it is known that 18 people have died, according to emergency services of Ukraine. Serhiy Kruk, the head of Ukraine’s state emergency service, said 59 had been injured. Dozens of reports of missing persons have been filed.
In a joint statement, G7 leaders condemned the “abominable attack” and noted that attacks on civilians were a “war crime”.
Firefighters track down the remains of the Kremenchuk shopping center, which was busy at the time of the strike. Photography: Alessio Mamo / The Guardian
“We are united with Ukraine to mourn the innocent victims of this brutal attack. Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime. Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held accountable.
“Today, we underlined our unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, an unjust election war that lasted 124 days.”
They said they “would continue to provide financial, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine for as long as needed.”
“We will not rest until Russia ends its cruel and senseless war in Ukraine.”
Separately, French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack an “abomination”, saying: “We share the grief of the families of the victims and the anger at such an atrocity. The Russian people must see the truth: “
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: “It is deplorable, to say the least. Any kind of civilian infrastructure, which obviously includes shopping malls, and civilians should never be targeted.”
The Ukrainian air force command said Russia struck the mall, which is near a railway station, with two X-22 cruise missiles that were fired by an unspecified number of bombers. long-range Tu-22M.
Images of the scene showed giant feathers of black smoke and flames, with emergency crews joining in to look for victims. 300 emergency workers took more than four hours to put out the flames.
location map of krememnchuk
Mykola Lukash, from the Kremenchuk district prosecutor’s office, said on Tuesday that cranes will be brought in to help lift the collapsed roof of the mall. “We did not find any children’s bodies. Many bodies are burned. We have to do DNA testing. “
Speaking at 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday, the head of the Kruk emergency services said work was still on site. He said: “The main tasks that lifeguards are currently carrying out are to carry out rescue operations, dismantle rubble and eliminate fires. So far, 16 people have died and 59 have been injured, 25 of whom have been hospitalized.
Firefighters clean up the ruins of the destroyed Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, Ukraine. Photo: Oleg Petrasyuk / EPA
Zelenskiy told Telegram that the death toll was “unimaginable.” He wrote: “The occupiers fired missiles at the mall, where there were more than a thousand civilians. The mall is on fire, lifeguards are putting out the fire, the number of casualties is unimaginable. Russia continues to eliminate its impotence on ordinary citizens. It is useless to wait for the decency and humanity of Russia. “
On Monday night, emergency workers and soldiers continued to comb their hair between black rubble and twisted metal. “We pulled out several bodies, but there are definitely more trapped under the rubble,” said Oleksii, 46, a firefighter. “This is usually a very busy place.”