Russia, missile strike on shopping mall in central Ukraine kills 11 people

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Russia reportedly attacked a shopping center in central Ukraine with missiles, far from the main front lines, resulting in dozens of casualties. Russia has continued surprise airstrikes on rear areas far from the eastern Donbas front lines, including Kyiv and Kharkiv, around the time of the Group of Seven (G7) summit. This is interpreted as a show of force aimed at Western leaders, signaling that rear areas can also be targeted.

According to CNN on the 27th (local time), Russian forces launched a missile strike on a shopping center in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, central Ukraine. So far, 11 people have been reported dead and 58 injured from the attack. Dmytro Lunin, governor of Poltava, stated in a press release, "10 people have died and more than 40 have been injured," adding, "6 of the injured are in critical condition."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on his Telegram account, "There were over 1,000 people in the shopping center when the missile struck," along with footage showing flames and black smoke rising from the shopping center. He strongly condemned the attack, saying, "This place posed no threat to the Russian military and has no strategic value," and "It is futile to expect humanity from the Russian forces."

The area is located far from the Donbas region, where the main front lines between Ukraine and Russia are currently situated, and is classified as a non-strategic location. Therefore, it is presumed that the Russian military targeted the shopping center, capable of mass casualties, not to achieve strategic objectives but as a show of force directed at the West.

Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who attended the G7 summit that day, also strongly criticized the attack during the summit, stating, "This attack revealed the deep cruelty and barbarity of Russian President Vladimir Putin."