Russian Double-Tap Drone Strike Kills at Least 16 at Kryvyi Rih Shopping Centre

Russian drones struck the Soniachna Halereia shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih on the afternoon of 21 August 2026, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 130, among them 22 children.

Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha reported the death toll and said 29 of the injured remained in serious condition, including five children. Rescuers from four other regions joined the search for survivors still trapped in the rubble.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was born in the city, described the attack as absolutely cynical and despicable. He said the drones arrived in two waves. The second struck about 30 minutes after the first, while emergency crews were already on site.

Local defence council head Oleksandr Vilkul said the drones flew at extremely low altitudes. One was a jet-powered Shahed-type craft. Video verified by multiple outlets showed the second impact amid rising smoke from the initial fire.

Zelenskyy called the strikes terrorist acts and urged the international community to apply real pressure on Russia. The shopping centre was open and crowded at the time of the daytime attack.

Earlier the same day, a separate Russian strike in Mykolaiv Oblast killed four people, three of them children, according to Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi.

The Kryvyi Rih attack fits a pattern of strikes on civilian gathering places. Ukrainian authorities continue to clear the site and treat the wounded.