Russia fired rockets at Ukraine mall containing ‘more than a thousand civilians,’ Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Russian airstrikes have hit a crowded mall, leaving a number of victims “impossible to imagine.” 

The incident happened in Kremenchuk and video shared on Zelenskyy’s Telegram page showed a massive fire raging at the site. 

“The occupiers fired rockets at the mall, where there were more than a thousand civilians,” Zelenskyy wrote. “The mall is on fire, rescuers are fighting the fire, the number of victims is impossible to imagine. 

“No danger to the Russian army. No strategic value. Only the attempt of people to live a normal life, which so angers the occupiers,” Zelenskyy added. 

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Kyryl Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential office, wrote in a Telegram post that at least two people were dead and about 20 were hurt, of whom nine were in serious condition. 

“Rescuers from all surrounding areas are coming to the scene to put out the fire and work to eliminate the consequences,” he also said. 

Earlier on Monday, Kremenchuk’s mayor said people had been killed and injured in an attack on a “very crowded area” of no military importance, but gave no details of casualties. 

“A rocket attack on Kremenchuk hit a very crowded area, which is 100% certain not to have any links to the armed forces. There are killed and injured people,” the city’s mayor, Vitaliy Maletskiy, wrote on Facebook, without giving the number of victims. 

The attack comes as Russia was mounting an all-out assault on the last Ukrainian stronghold in the eastern Luhansk region, “pouring fire” on the city of Lysychansk from the ground and air, according to the local governor. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.