World leaders condemn “abominable” Russian attack
Leaders around the world have quickly denounced Russia’s deadly strike at a shopping center in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, as “abominable” and a war crime, amid growing international outrage over the attack.
In a joint statement, G7 leaders condemned the “abominable attack” and noted that attacks on civilians were a “war crime”.
We are united with Ukraine to mourn the innocent victims of this brutal attack. Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime. Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held accountable.
Today we have underlined our unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, an unjust election war that has been going on for 124 days. “
They said they “would continue to provide financial, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine for as long as needed.”
“We will not rest until Russia ends its cruel and senseless war in Ukraine.”
Separately, French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack an “abomination”, saying: “We share the grief of the families of the victims and the anger at such an atrocity. The Russian people must see the truth: “
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: “It is deplorable, to say the least. Any kind of civilian infrastructure, which obviously includes shopping malls, and civilians should never be targeted.”
The death toll in Kremenchuk rises to 18, according to officials
According to Ukrainian authorities, the death toll from the Russian missile attack on a crowded shopping center in the central city of Kremenchuk has risen to 18.
Search and rescue operations continue this morning as workers dismantle damaged building structures to look for those who may still be trapped by fallen debris.
Ukraine’s state emergency services provided an update around 7 a.m. local time, confirming that 18 people died in the attack, including one person who succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
A further 59 people sought medical help and 25 were admitted to intensive care at a Kremenchuk hospital.
A total of 440 people (including 14 psychologists) and 70 units have been involved in the rescue efforts, the agency added.
#Kremenchuk On 28 June, search and rescue operations continue. As a result of the bombing of the mall, 18 people died (one person died in hospital).
59 people asked for medical help, 25 of them were admitted to the intensive care unit.➡️ pic.twitter.com/L3EQAItqsJ
– DSNS.GOV.UA (@SESU_UA) June 28, 2022
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the presidential office of Ukraine, previously shared the images after a Russian missile attack on a crowded shopping center in the central city of Kremenchuk on Monday.
The Russian attack killed at least 16 people and injured dozens more, a senior Ukrainian official said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said there were more than 1,000 people inside when they fired the missiles.
Consequences of the Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian shopping center: video
A Russian missile hits the Kremenchuk shopping center
Search and rescue teams are digging to find those trapped under the rubble of a shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk after the building was hit Monday by a Russian missile.
The President of Ukraine Volodoymyr Zelenskiy said there were more than 1,000 people inside the building at the time of the strike. Images from the scene showed giant feathers of black smoke and flames, with emergency crews joining in to look for victims and put out fires.
Serhiy Kruk, the head of Ukraine’s state emergency service, said Tuesday at 2 a.m. local time: “We continue to work at the site of the rocket attack on the Kremenchuk shopping center. The main tasks they are currently performing “Lifeguards are carrying out rescue operations, dismantling rubble and removing fires. So far, 16 people have died and 59 have been injured, 25 of whom have been hospitalized.”
Ukrainian war crimes prosecutors earlier told the Guardian that 14 bodies had been found in the ruins and one person died from his injuries at the hospital. At least 40 reports of missing persons had been filed by locals looking for loved ones who had disappeared into the building.
When the missile struck, it ignited a massive fire that took 300 emergency workers more than four hours to extinguish.
Volunteers and firefighters from the State Emergency Service are working to extinguish a fire in a burned-out mall after a rocket attack in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, early Tuesday. Photography: Efrem Lukatsky / AP
Mykola Lukash, from the Kremenchuk district prosecutor’s office, said on Tuesday that cranes will be brought in to help lift the collapsed roof of the mall. “We did not find any children’s bodies. Many bodies are burned. We need to do DNA testing. At the moment 14 bodies have been found here at the site and another died at the hospital. “
Svitlana Rybalko, head of communications for the State Emergency Service of the Poltava region, said the exact number of casualties was unclear and that “there may be survivors.”
When night fell in Kremenchuk, emergency workers and soldiers combed between black rubble and twisted metal.
“We pulled out several bodies, but there are definitely more trapped under the rubble,” said Oleksii, 46, a firefighter. “This is usually a very busy place.”
Rescue teams are working on a site of a mall affected by a Russian missile attack in Kremenchuk, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters
Updated at 06.10 BST
Summary and welcome
Hello, we are Samantha Lock with you as we continue to report all the latest news from Ukraine.
Rescue teams are searching for survivors in the ruins of a shopping center in central Ukraine after a Russian missile attack killed at least 16 people in a UN-condemned attack in the west.
Below are all the main news from 8 am in Kyiv.
- A Russian missile struck a crowded shopping center in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk on Monday, killing and injuring numerous people, Ukrainian authorities said. Serhiy Kruk, head of Ukraine’s state emergency service, said Tuesday at 2 a.m. local time: “So far, 16 people have died and 59 have been injured, 25 of whom have been hospitalized.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said more than 1,000 people were inside the building at the time of the strike and that officials “are still setting the number of people under the rubble.”
- Zelenskiy described the attack on Kremenchuk as “one of the most challenging terrorist attacks in European history.” “A quiet city, a normal mall with women, children and ordinary civilians inside,” she said. “Only totally crazy terrorists, who should not take place on earth, can hit missiles at such an object. And this is not an off-target missile attack, it is a calculated Russian attack, exactly in this mall. “.
- G7 leaders said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attacks on civilians were a “war crime” and condemned the “abominable attack” on Kremenchuk. “We are united with Ukraine to mourn the innocent victims of this brutal attack. Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime. Russian President Putin and those responsible will be held accountable,” a statement read. They said they “would continue to provide financial, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine for as long as needed.”
- Russian bombings of a residential area in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, killed at least five civilians on Monday, the regional governor said. Another 19 people were injured in the attack, Oleh Synehubov said.
- A Russian missile attack also killed at least eight civilians and injured 21 in the Lysychansk region of eastern Ukraine. “Today, when civilians were collecting water from a water tank, the Russians aimed at the crowd,” Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai told Telegram.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said there can be no return to pre-war ties with Russia. Scholz said that with his attack on Ukraine, Russia has broken “all the rules, all the agreements we have made between us on the cooperation of countries” after the G7 summit. He said G7 leaders agree that this has led to long-term changes “that will mark international relations for a very, very long time”. Therefore, it is clear that in relations with Russia, there can be no way back to the time before the Russian attack on Ukraine. “
- The UN Security Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss Russia’s targeted attacks on civilians at the request of Ukraine.
- NATO will increase the number of troops on high alert by more than seven times to more than 300,000 in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said military alliance forces in the Baltic states and five other front-line countries would increase “to brigade levels” – doubling or tripling to between 3,000 and 5,000. soldiers. That would mean “the biggest overhaul of our collective defense and deterrence since the Cold War,” he said.
- UK Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace reportedly wrote to the Prime Minister to call for the defense budget to be raised to 2.5% of GDP by 2028. The leaked request, first reported once on Talk TV, the eve of the NATO summit in Madrid arose, which will talk about the renewed threat posed by Russia and the planned commitment of hundreds more British troops to defend Estonia.
- Any invasion of the Crimean peninsula by a NATO member state could mean a declaration of war on Russia that could lead to “World War III,” former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Monday. “For us, Crimea is a part …