Two dead, 11 injured in Ukraine missile attack on shopping mall in Donetsk, Russia

MOSCOW:

At least two civilians were killed and 11 wounded in a Ukrainian missile attack on a shopping center in the eastern city of Donetsk, local media reported.

The death toll is expected to rise as many people were inside the Galactika shopping center at the time of the attack, Russian state news agency TASS reported, citing law enforcement sources.

“Preliminarily, there are reports of at least two dead in the Galaktika mall, with emphasis on preliminary,” the news agency said.

Ukraine struck with multiple missiles and one hit a hospital, while others hit nearby residential buildings, he added.

A fire broke out in the mall after the airstrike, with emergency services struggling to reach people inside the mall as shelling continued, the news agency said.

Russia condemns the attack

The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the Ukraine strike, calling it a “cowardly attack” and a “carefully planned terrorist act” carried out to “delay the advance of Russian forces to the front line”.

“The task of the terrorist attack is the killing of civilians, the desire to sow panic. Moreover, it is obvious that Kiev has received a green light from Western coordinators to commit as many atrocities as possible against civilians in order to undermine stability in our country.” , the announcement states.

The ministry highlighted the large number of civilians inside the mall at the time of the attack, including children.

“The exact number of casualties, including the people killed, remains unknown, however, based on media reports and the video of the large fire, it could be many. The situation around the Galactika shopping center is being made worse by the efforts of “Ukrainian monsters to carry out attacks on rescue teams, firefighters who arrived to extinguish the fire and doctors who provided medical aid to the injured,” it said.

The ministry stressed that Ukraine’s “cruelty and terrorist methods” had the opposite of the intended effect, uniting the public against the threat, with the number of volunteers willing to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry increasing.

“We strongly condemn the latest barbaric terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime. The Ukrainian criminals who carried out the bombing of a shopping center in Donetsk and other attacks will definitely be identified by the investigation and severely punished for what they have done.” the ministry said, pledging “as tough a response as possible”.

He also called on the world community and international organizations to join in condemning the “mass killing of innocent civilians in Donetsk”.

Separately, Russian President Vladimir Putin called a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the ongoing situation in Ukraine and Russia’s “special military operation.”

During the meeting, Putin said Defense Minister Andrei Belousov would participate via video conference. He also urged the attendees to focus on the new technical solutions being implemented.