It was the second day in a row that Russia fired on targets of no military value. The rocket attack evokes memories of the bombing of the theater in Mariupol, which killed an estimated 600 people in mid-March. This type of attack on civilian targets is contrary to international law of war.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, more than 1,000 people were at the mall when two Russian missiles slammed into it mid-afternoon. At least fifty people were injured in the attack. Some of them would be in bad shape.
It was not known Monday evening how many people were still buried under the rubble. Due to the massive fire that broke out after the attack, the local authorities considered the chances of survivors small. ‘It is impossible to even imagine the number of victims at all,’ says Zelensky.
According to the president, the shopping center in Kremenchuk posed no threat to the Russian army. There is also no military target in the vicinity. The city is home to Ukraine’s largest oil refinery, but it was shut down by Russian bombings two months ago.
The international community has also strongly condemned the attack on Kremenchuk, a city of more than 200,000 inhabitants, which is bisected by the Dnipro River on Monday evening. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the rocket attack was “the epitome of brutality and barbarity” by Putin. A United Nations spokesman called the attack “deplorable to say the least.” Russia has denied intentionally attacking civilians since the start of the war.
After a fierce battle, Russia has taken the city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine and has intensified its airstrikes elsewhere in the country. In the northeast, the city of Kharkiv was bombarded with rockets on Monday. Four people were killed and nineteen were injured. A residential area in Odesa province had already come under fire overnight. The capital Kyiv was hit on Sunday.
Luhansk offensive continues
Meanwhile, the Russian offensive in Luhansk continues unabated. At least eight civilians were killed in a rocket attack on Lysychansk, the last major city in the region that had not yet been captured, according to local authorities. While authorities called on civilians to leave the city as soon as possible, Ukrainian soldiers prepared to stop the Russian advance from higher areas of the city.
Earlier on Monday, Zelensky had asked the leaders of the G7 countries, who have gathered these days in Germany’s Schloss Elmau near Munich, for additional anti-aircraft fire via video link. The United States would be willing to comply with the Ukrainian president’s demand. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said a new weapons package is under construction.
Tuesday is the last day that the major industrialized countries will discuss the war in Ukraine and its consequences. A G7 statement said they will assist Ukraine in its fight against Russia “for as long as it takes.” The French government reported afterwards that, according to Zelensky, the time to negotiate with Russia has not yet come. He would first like to create a better starting position for his country.