Russian double-tap drone strike on Ukrainian mall kills at least 15

At least 15 people have been killed after Russia carried out a two-wave drone strike on the largest shopping centre in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, local officials said. Another 130 people, including 23 children, were injured, with fears that more victims remain trapped under the rubble.

Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, confirmed on Friday evening that 15 people had died, including two who succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Of the 130 injured, 29 were said to be in serious condition. Officials warned the death toll could still rise. Rescue teams from four other Ukrainian regions were urgently sent to help search for survivors.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is from Kryvyi Rih, described the daytime attack on his home town as "absolutely cynical and despicable," noting it was carried out in two waves, with the second strike aimed at emergency workers who had gathered at the scene. Footage verified by the BBC shows a second drone striking the mall as it was already ablaze.

Kryvyi Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said the drones had flown at "extremely low altitudes" and called the attackers "animals." He added that some people remained unreachable and unaccounted for.

Follows deadly Kyiv attack

The strike came a day after a large-scale Russian missile and drone assault on Kyiv killed 17 people and injured more than 40. Residential buildings and warehouses across the capital were hit overnight, and a children's hospital and a school were also damaged.

Earlier on Friday, Ukraine's military said it had struck an oil refinery and a military airfield inside Russia. Ukraine has recently stepped up strikes on Russian energy infrastructure and on warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, arguing these are legitimate targets that help fund the war effort.

Russia's military has not commented on the Kryvyi Rih strike. President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian forces currently control roughly a fifth of Ukrainian territory in the country's south-east.