Firefighters are shown dousing burning cars on a street in Pavlohrad after a Russian‑driven drone hit a packed shopping centre, killing five people and wounding 67, eight of them children.
"The Russians used drones to kill people who were simply standing near shopping centres," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack a “tactic of coercion”, saying repetitive strikes on civilians could pressure Ukraine into concessions.
The attack followed earlier drone hits on shopping malls in Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Kandor, as well as Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian‑controlled malls in Mariupol, Donetsk and on Sochi’s shoreline.
A state emergency service photo shows firefighters directing water hoses at billowing smoke, while Telegram posts from regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha noted that among the 67 injured, eight are children.
The conflict, which started more than four and a half years ago, continues to see rising civilian casualties. New peace talks are underway, but progress has been limited amid ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure.
