Ukraine Shopping Centre With More Than 1,000 People Inside Hit By Russian Missiles
Anish Vij
Featured Image Credit: Zelensky/Telegram
A Ukrainian shopping centre with more than 1,000 people inside has been struck by Russian missiles.
At least two people have been confirmed dead and 20 more are said to be injured, according to BBC.
On Telegram, President Zelenskyy said that the mall posed 'no danger to the Russian army' and was of 'no strategic value' to the Russians.
"The occupiers have hit a shopping centre with over a thousand civilians inside," Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
"It is on fire, and rescue workers are trying to put out the fire, the number of victims is impossible to imagine."
"It posed no threat to the Russian army. No strategic value.
"People only wanted to live a normal life, which is what angers the occupiers so much.
"Out of helplessness, Russia continues to hit ordinary people.
"It is vain to expect it to be reasonable or humane."
Adviser to the Head of the Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, tweeted a video of the damage and wrote: "Kremenchuk right now… [Russia] deliberately hit shopping center, with more than thousand civilians inside. In the middle of the day.
"Just because it wants to kill. To fill everything up with Ukrainian blood.
"RF – a terrorist state. RF – the most disgusting war. #RussiaIsATerroristState."
Kira Rudik, member of Ukrainian parliament also tweeted: "A rocket attack in the middle of the day. A strike on a shopping mall in #Kremenchuk.
"Thousands of people there. The building is on fire. Rescue team is working. The occupiers are taking out their anger on the civilians.
"The world must help us to stop #russia! #StopPutinNOW."
The Economist correspondent Oliver Carroll said that a 'rescue effort' is currently underway.
Alongside a video of a person being stretchered into an ambulance, he tweeted: "The rescue effort is ongoing in Kremenchuk, but it's clear the casualties will be high. Some pretty horrific footage from inside the building — not reposting. But these are the scenes outside."
In a previous tweet, he explained: "Kremenchuk has been a target for Russian rockets before. Its oil refinery is Ukraine's major petrol producer. But the refinery is a long way away from the shopping center."
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