UK says Russia’s inability to conduct long range strikes led to casualties in Kremenchuk

On June 29, the UK MoD claimed that Russia's inability to conduct long-range strikes resulted in casualties at the shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk. According to a recent intelligence update from the UK's defence ministry, the missile that hit the Kremenchuk shopping centre was likely intended for a nearby target.

"Russia’s inaccuracy in conducting long range strikes has previously resulted in mass civilian casualty incidents, including at Kramatorsk railway station on 9 April 2022," the UK MoD claimed. It further added, "Russian planners highly likely remain willing to accept a high level of collateral damage when they perceive military necessity in striking a target."

On June 27, a Russian airstrike hit a busy shopping mall in Kremenchuk, central Ukraine, causing the building to catch fire and prompting an overnight search and rescue operation. Since June 25, Russian forces have advanced a further 2 kilometres from the Lysychansk oil refinery, south of the town, towards Lysychansk, according to the UK defence ministry.

Death toll from Russian strike on crowded shopping mall climbs to 20 

According to a Ukrainian presidential adviser, the death toll from a Russian strike on a crowded shopping mall in the central Ukrainian region of Poltava has risen to 20. Authorities say up to 1,000 people were inside the mall late Monday afternoon when two missiles hit the Amstor shopping centre in Kremenchuk.

In addition to the fatalities, 59 people were injured, 25 of whom were hospitalised, and authorities have received 40 reports from relatives of people who are still missing, according to presidential adviser Kyrylo Tymoshenko, who shared the information on the social media app Telegram. Huge clouds of black smoke and flame billowed from the mall, according to video from the scene.

In a daily video address posted after the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the Russian state "the largest terrorism organisation in the world." According to the Russian government, the shopping centre caught fire after Russia struck a nearby weapons depot.

This week, Russia has increased its bombardment of Ukrainian cities, claiming to be targeting military installations but frequently hitting purely civilian targets instead. The mall attack comes during a particularly bloody week in Ukraine, as Russia escalates cruise missile strikes, even in areas of the country that had been relatively unscathed since Russia's invasion in February.

Image: AP