SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say scores of civilians are feared killed or injured after a Russian rocket strike hit a crowded shopping mall in the central city of Kremenchuk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post Monday that the number of victims was "unimaginable," citing reports that more than 1,000 civilians were inside at the time of the attack.
Minutes later, Kyryl Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential office, said in a Telegram post that at least two were dead and about 20 people were hurt, of whom nine were in serious condition.
Zelenskyy stressed that the target presented "no threat to the Russian army" and had "no strategic value."
Initially, Kremenchuk mayor Vitaliy Maletskiy took to Facebook to report that people were killed and injured in an attack in a “very crowded area” that was of no military importance.
Emergency crews were on the scene, Ukrainian officials said.
Dmitry Lunin, Ukrainian's regional governor, confirmed on Telegram that over 1,000 people were inside the shopping center when it was attacked, adding that the building was engulfed in flames.
