Russian forces carried out a devastating double-tap drone strike on the largest shopping center in Kryvyi Rih on August 21, killing at least 15 people and injuring 130 others, including 23 children, in one of the deadliest attacks on a civilian target in months.
The attack struck the heart of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Initial reports from local authorities put the death toll at five, but that figure climbed steadily throughout the day as rescue workers pulled victims from the rubble. By evening, the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration confirmed the toll had risen to 15 dead and 130 wounded.
Double-Tap Strike Targets Rescue Workers
Ukrainian officials described the assault as a deliberate double-tap attack, in which an initial wave of strike drones hit the shopping complex followed by a second wave aimed at first responders rushing to the scene. Zelenskyy condemned the strike as “cynical and despicable,” saying Russia specifically targeted civilians and the rescuers trying to save them.
Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, said rescue operations continued through the night as crews cleared rubble from the damaged complex. “There are people who are missing and cannot be reached,” Vilkul stated on Telegram. Eight patients were undergoing surgery, including one child, and a 14-year-old girl was transferred to Dnipro for specialized treatment.
29 Victims in Serious Condition
Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the regional military administration, reported that 29 of the injured were in serious condition, including five children. The shopping center, described as the largest in the city, sustained massive structural damage from the successive drone impacts and resulting fires.
Kryvyi Rih, a city of roughly 600,000 people in central Ukraine, has been repeatedly targeted throughout the war. It holds particular significance as Zelenskyy’s birthplace, and previous strikes on the city have drawn international attention, including a deadly April 2025 missile attack that killed 20 people, nine of them children.
Rising Civilian Toll Amid Escalating Drone Campaign
The strike came during a period of intensified Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine. On the same day, Russian forces also struck a civilian building in Tokarivka in the Mykolaiv region with a Shahed-type drone, killing four people and prompting regional authorities to declare August 22 a day of mourning. Rescue workers in Tokarivka found victims in a building that housed local social services facilities.
The latest attack underscores the growing threat posed by Russian strike drones to Ukrainian urban centers. Zelenskyy has repeatedly urged Western allies to accelerate delivery of air defense systems, particularly Patriot interceptors, arguing that timely provision of promised supplies could save civilian lives. Ukrainian defense officials say Russia’s expanding drone arsenal, including newer jet-powered variants, is increasingly difficult for existing air defense networks to counter.
Sources: Associated Press; Ukrinform; Ukrainska Pravda; Kyiv Independent; UNITED24 Media
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