Russia denied Tuesday that it hit a Kremenchuk shopping mall with missiles. It claimed that it had struck a nearby depot for U.S.- and European arms, triggering an explosion that ignited a fire at the mall.
According to Ukraine, at least 18 people died in Monday’s intentional Russian missile strike on Kremenchuk’s shopping centre. President Volodymyr Zeleskiy stated that more than 1000 people were present when the missiles struck.
On Tuesday, war crimes investigators inspected the remains of the shopping mall that was destroyed by a Russian missile attack. As Ukraine mourned the loss of its citizens, the prosecutor general of Ukraine called it “crimes against humanity”.
The Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk saw the declaration of a day of mourning. Firefighters also cleared the rubble.
Russia’s defense ministry denied Ukraine’s claim, saying that it had struck a legitimate military target within the city and that the shopping centre was not being used.
#Russia calls itself a great nation with a great culture. Today Russia hit a "shopping mall" in #Kremenchuk, #Poltava region with more than a thousand civilians at the moment of the attack, said #Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/cvUHC5SH0q
— Share_Talk ™ (@Share_Talk) June 27, 2022
In a daily statement, Russia’s defense ministry stated that Russian forces had struck a depot housing arms from the United States and Europe equipped with high-precision, air-based weapons.
It added that the “detonation” of Western ammunition caused a fire at a nearby non-functional shopping centre.
Zelenskiy claimed it was “one the most defiant terrorist acts in European history”. The G7 called it a Russian war crime.
The Kremlin refers reporters to the defense ministry statement when they are asked about the attack against Kremenchuk. Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking civilians in Donbas.
Rescue efforts were continuing on Tuesday to rescue survivors and bodies. Many people were reported to have been injured and were taken to the hospital.
In recent days, Ukraine reported an increase in Russian-led attacks. A residential building in Kyiv was attacked in the capital’s first attack in June.
In addition to the shopping centre, Ukraine claimed that Russian missiles also struck the eastern cities Kharkiv (and Lysychansk) on Monday. This was one of the most bloody days for civilian casualties in recent weeks.
Dmitry Polyanskiy (Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations) accused Ukraine of using the incident in order to gain sympathy in advance of a NATO military alliance summit scheduled for June 28-30. He also pointed out “striking discrepancies” in Kyiv’s account.
During its four-month-long offensive against Ukraine, Russia repeatedly denied that it targeted civilian areas. According to the U.N., at least 4,700 civilians were killed by Russia since its invasion on February 24.
Vladimir Putin repeatedly stated that the primary reason for his “special military operation,” which he calls a “special military operation,” was to defend the Russian-speaking people of Donbas against persecution and attack from Ukraine.
According to the Western backers of Ukraine, Russia is waging an unprovoked military campaign against a sovereign nation that is fighting for its survival. Kyiv claims that Russia’s assertion of persecution of Russian speakers was a pretext for the invasion.
After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the conflict in eastern Ukraine began. Russian-backed forces were fighting Ukraine’s armed force.
According to the Office of the U.N. Human Rights High Commissioner, approximately 14,000 people died there in the period between 2014 and 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
