Russian missile strike on shopping mall kills at least 18, Ukraine says

ISTANBUL

A Russian missile strike on a shopping mall in Ukraine's Kremenchuk city has killed at least 18 people and injured many others, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.

The Monday attack on Amstor shopping mall caused a huge fire and sent dark smoke billowing into the sky, footage shared on social media showed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said that more than 1,000 civilians were inside the mall at the time of the attack.

"Unfortunately, as of now, 18 people have been killed in the Russian strike," Dmytro Lunin, governor of the central Poltava region, said on Telegram, adding that 36 people are missing as rescuers continue searching through the rubble.

“More than a thousand people worked all night on the ruins – rescuers, police, medics, and volunteers," he said.

Meanwhile, Vitali Maletsky, the city's mayor, announced a 3-day mourning in the city.

While the West has condemned the attack, Zelenskyy called it “one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history” and that Russia has become the “largest terrorist organization in the world.”

Earlier, Ukraine’s air force said the mall was hit by two long-range X-22 missiles fired from Tu-22M3 bombers from Shaykovka airfield in Russia’s Kaluga region.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the world's response should be "more heavy arms for Ukraine, more sanctions on Russia, and more businesses leaving Russia."

The country's Defense Ministry said, "NATO-style anti-missile systems would prevent new tragedies."

More than 4,700 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the war started on Feb. 24, while over 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes, according to the UN.