Ukraine: Russia strikes shopping mall, dozens feared dead

SLOVIANSK, Ukraine — Scores of civilians are feared killed or injured after a Russian rocket strike hit a crowded shopping mall in Ukraine’s central city of Kremenchuk, Ukrainian officials say.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says 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.

Kyryl Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential office, says in a Telegram post that at least two people were confirmed dead and about 20 hurt, of whom at least nine are in serious condition.

Zelensky stresses that the target presented “no threat to the Russian army” and had “no strategic value.” He accuses Russia of sabotaging “people’s attempts to live a normal life, which make the occupiers so angry.”

“Russia continues to take out its impotence on ordinary civilians. It is useless to hope for decency and humanity on its part,” Zelensky says.