Daylight attack hits Pavlohrad mall as streets fill with people; children among the wounded, Ukrainian officials say.
At least five people were killed and 67 others injured, including eight children, when a Russian drone struck a shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad, authorities said.
The attack took place on Thursday in broad daylight in the city centre of Pavlohrad, a logistics hub in the Dnipropetrovsk region, when streets were crowded with people, according to Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi. Shops and vehicles were damaged in the strike.
Russian Strike on Pavlohrad Kills Five, Injures 67:
Regional Governor Oleksandr Hanzha confirmed the updated casualty figures: five dead and 67 wounded. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered condolences to the families of those killed and said Russian forces had used drones “to kill people who were simply standing near shopping centres.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attack as “deliberate terror against civilians” and a “tactic of coercion.” He said Russia was systematically targeting places where people go about their daily lives in an effort to maximise casualties, spread fear and pressure Ukrainian society into concessions.
Pavlohrad has faced repeated attacks during the war. The latest strike comes amid a pattern of Russian long-range assaults on civilian infrastructure, including other shopping centres. Ukrainian media reported that malls in the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Sumy were also targeted earlier in the week.
Emergency Response Continues After Pavlohrad Strike:
Russia has not issued an immediate detailed comment specifically addressing the Pavlohrad incident in available reports. Moscow has previously claimed that its strikes target military-related facilities or dual-use infrastructure, while Ukrainian officials and international monitors have repeatedly accused Russian forces of deliberately hitting civilian sites.
The United Nations has noted that civilian casualties in Ukraine have risen significantly in recent months, with deaths running at their highest rate since the early stages of the full-scale invasion that began in February 2022. Emergency services responded to the scene in Pavlohrad, and medical teams treated the injured. Investigations into the attack continue.