Russia admits to firing missile that hit mall, but claims their target was weapons depot

In a recent development, Russia has admitted to the missile strike on a shopping mall in Ukraine's Kremenchuk city on Monday, June 27. However, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed that the attack was aimed at a weapons depot nearby and the fire spread to the "supposedly empty mall." According to Ukrainian officials, more than 1,000 people were inside the mall at the time of the attack, with at least 18 people losing their lives and over 60 others injured, the Associated Press (AP) reported. 

Ukrainian officials also blamed Russia's Tu-22M3 long-range bombers for firing the missile that targeted the shopping mall and a sports arena in Kremenchuk city. Following the incident, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the mall presented “no threat to the Russian army” and had "no strategic importance." He accused the Putin administration of thwarting people’s attempts to live a normal life, which make the occupiers so enraged. The attack comes at a time when Russia was launching a full-scale assault on the last Ukrainian stronghold in eastern Luhansk.

Russia claims to have destroyed Ukraine's weapons hangar in Kremenchuk

In its latest operation report, the Russian Defence Ministry also claimed that the country's armed forces are still engaged in a special military operation in Ukraine. "Successful joint actions of the Russian troops, units of the people's militia of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics inflict critical losses on the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the ministry stated on Telegram. It further stated that the Russian Aerospace Forces launched a strike with high-precision air-based weapons on hangars with weapons and ammunition in Kremenchuk city on June 27. The Russian Ministry also claimed that those weapons were provided to Ukraine by the United States and European countries.

Zelenskyy urges G7 countries to impose fresh sanctions on Russia

It is pertinent to mention here that the ongoing devastating war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate and entered its day 125th on Tuesday, June 28. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has reiterated his demands for fresh sanctions on Russia by Group of Seven (G7) countries and also urged for the delivery of additional weapons and air defence systems to Ukraine. He also stressed that delays in the delivery of weapons to Ukraine essentially make way for repeated attacks from Russia.