Officials: Russian missile strike hits crowded shopping mall

In this image made from video provided by Ukrainian State Emergency Service, firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a shopping center burned after a rocket attack in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, Monday, June 27, 2022. (Ukrainian State Emergency Service via AP)
In this image made from video provided by Ukrainian State Emergency Service, firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a shopping center burned after a rocket attack in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, Monday, June 27, 2022. (Ukrainian State Emergency Service via AP)

By YURAS KARMANAU and FRANCESCA EBEL

Associated Press

SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (AP) -- Scores of civilians were feared killed or wounded in a Russian missile strike Monday on a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine's central city of Kremenchuk, Ukrainian officials said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post that the number of victims was "unimaginable," citing reports that more than 1,000 civilians were inside at the time of the attack. Images from the scene showed giant plumes of black smoke from the shopping center engulfed in flames, as emergency crews rushed in and onlookers watched in distress.

At least 11 people were dead and more than 40 wounded, according to the regional governor, Dmytro Lunin, who said that rescuers were continuning to comb the smoldering debris for more victims.

Zelenskyy said the target presented "no threat to the Russian army" and had "no strategic value."

The secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said that one missile hit the shopping center and another struck a sports arena in Kremenchuk.

The attack came as Russia was mounting an all-out assault on the last Ukrainian stronghold in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk province, "pouring fire" on the city of Lysychansk from the ground and air, according to the local governor.

Russian forces appeared to step up an offensive centering on trying to wrest the eastern Donbas region from Ukraine after forcing government troops out of the neighboring city of Sievierodonetsk in recent days.

Western leaders, meanwhile, pledged steadfast and continued support for Kyiv. NATO will agree to deliver further military support to Ukraine -- including secure communication and anti-drone systems -- when its leaders convene in Spain for a summit, according to the military alliance's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg.

To the west of Lysychansk on Monday, the mayor of the city of Sloviansk -- potentially the next major battleground -- said Russian forces fired cluster munitions on the city after dawn, including one that hit a residential neighborhood.

Overall, Zelenskyy's office said at least six civilians were killed and 31 others wounded as part of intense Russian shelling against various Ukrainian cities over the past 24 hours -- including Kyiv and major cities in the country's south and east, but not counting the attack in Kremenchuk and the shelling of the eastern city of Kharkiv where at least three people were killed and another 15 were wounded.

Analysts say that Lysychansk's location high on the banks of the Siverskiy Donets River gives a major advantage to the city's Ukrainian defenders.

"It's a very hard nut to crack. The Russians could spend many months and much effort storming Lysychansk," said military analyst Oleh Zhdanov.

In other developments, in Germany's Bavarian Alps, leaders of the Group of Seven countries pledged to continue supporting Ukraine "for as long as it takes."

In a joint statement on Monday after they held a session by video link with Zelenskyy, the leaders underlined their "unwavering commitment to support the government and people of Ukraine in their courageous defense of their country's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The U.S., meanwhile, appeared ready to respond to Zelenskyy's call for more air defense systems after Russian troops hit Kyiv with long-range missiles on Sunday. Washington was expected to announce the purchase of an advanced surface-to-air missile system for Ukraine.