Aftermath of Russia’s strike on a shopping center, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, August 21, 2026
EA-Ukraine VideoCast: Could Kyiv Hit Russia With Ballistic Missiles By End of 2026?
Thursday-Friday Coverage: 17+ Civilians Murdered and 32+ Injured in Kyiv by Russia’s Strikes
UPDATE 1619 GMT:
After a call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron has said Paris will speed up the delivery of missiles and other military equipment.
“It is crucial to provide Ukraine with all the necessary means to defend its skies and thwart this aggression. I announced to President Zelensky the strengthening of our support, with the delivery of interceptors,” Macron posted.
The President agreed to help Kyiv in its communications with international partners that possess Patriot air defense systems, Zelensky said.
UPDATE 1350 GMT:
At least seven civilians have been murdered and at 31 murdered by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.
In the Kherson region in the south, three people were killed and 13 injured as Russian strikes damaged houses and apartments. A shopping center was burnt to the ground by a drone strike.
In the Donetsk region in the east, one person was slain and seven wounded.
In the Sumy region in the northeast, a man was killed by a Russian missile strike on his house. Six people were injured elsewhere in the region, including a 12-year-old boy in his home, by drone attacks.
In Kyiv, an employee of Ukrainian Railways was killed by a Russian ballistic missile.
UPDATE 1341 GMT:
Germany pledged an additional €50 million ($58 million) in humanitarian support to help Ukrainians in frontline regions and to prepare for the coming winter,
Speaking at a joint press conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul emphasized Germany’s continued support for Ukraine.
The funding will go to UN organizations and NGOs that provide urgent support for affected civilians, including mobile sanitation facilities, housing repairs, and heating equipment.
“Russia continues to attack energy infrastructure and is doing everything it can to once again use winter as a weapon,” Wadephul said.
UPDATE 0556 GMT:
Ukraine struck the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region overnight.
The refinery is one of the 10 largest in Russia, with a capacity 8.8 million metric tons of oil per year. It is around 900 km (560 miles) from the border.
Ukraine also set a large fire in a warehouse in the neighboring town of Chapayevsk. The facility belongs to the Russian e-commerce giant Ozon.
The strike was the first on Ozon. The company is the main competitor to “Russia’s Amazon”, Wildberries, which has suffered billions in losses from Ukrainian attacks since mid-July.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: At least 20 civilians were murdered, including three children, and more than 130 injured by Russian drone strikes on Kryvyi Rih and Mykolaiv in Ukraine on Friday.
At least 15 civilians were killed and 130 injured, including 23 children, from Russia’s “double tap” drone strike on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih in southeast Ukraine.
The Russians struck around 4:30 p.m. The second attack came around half an hour after the first, as rescue services were responding at the scene.
Of the injured, 29 are in serious condition, including one child.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky posted about the “absolutely cynical and vile strike…against an ordinary shopping center”:
Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts. And the world must respond to them accordingly – with real pressure on the aggressor. For peace to be possible, Russia must face real accountability.
Oleksandr Vilkul, head of Kryvyi Rih’s Defense Council, added, “There are people who have gone missing and cannot be contacted. Bloody damn Russian bastards.”
Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets summarized:
People came to the shopping center for their ordinary business: to shop, to work, or to spend time with loved ones. For Russia, this makes no difference.
On Friday evening, Russian drones attacked another shopping center in Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine. Four people were murdered, including three children aged 11 and 12.
