Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on international partners to impose stricter sanctions on Russia following a double missile attack on Kryvyi Rih.
Writing on social media platform X, Sybiha said Russian forces intentionally struck an ordinary shopping centre in the city before launching a repeat strike on the same location as emergency responders arrived at the scene. He said the double-strike tactic aimed to inflict maximum civilian casualties and confirmed Russia's status as a terrorist state, adding that those responsible for such atrocities must be held accountable.
Sybiha urged global action, stating that every war crime must result in tougher sanctions against the Russian military-industrial complex and its supporters, alongside expanded defense support for Ukraine. He stressed that Moscow must be deprived of both the capability to manufacture weapons of terror and the ability to deploy them, noting that sanctions and anti-missile systems are two life-saving tools Ukraine requires without delay.
Kryvyi Rih is a major industrial city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in central Ukraine. Known as an important steel-making and iron-mining hub, the city is also the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and has been a frequent target of long-range missile and drone attacks.
Demands for response and accountability
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also condemned the shopping centre attack during his evening national address, as reported by Ukrainian news agency UNIAN. Zelenskyy described the strike, which took place in broad daylight while shoppers were inside the building, as a deliberate assault on civilians.
Zelenskyy promised that Ukraine would retaliate for the attack and emphasized that global leaders must not remain silent. He called for continued international assistance to help bring an end to the war.
Industrial facilities targeted in earlier attack
The attack on the commercial venue followed earlier Russian strikes against industrial facilities in Kryvyi Rih on the night of August 16. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, reported that Russian forces deployed three ballistic missiles and several Iranian-designed Shahed drones against two industrial enterprises in the city.
Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, confirmed that two people were killed and more than ten others were injured during the nocturnal bombardment. Hanzha specified that a 48-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition, while ten people were admitted to hospital in moderate condition.
