2022 Kremenchuk missile strike | |
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Part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine | |
![]() Amstor mall in Kremenchuk after Russian shelling | |
Location | Kremenchuk, Ukraine |
Coordinates | 49°4′12″N 33°25′30″E / 49.07000°N 33.42500°ECoordinates: 49°4′12″N 33°25′30″E / 49.07000°N 33.42500°E |
Date | 27 June 2022 (UTC+3) |
Target | Kredmasha plant and Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk |
Attack type | Missile strike |
Deaths | 20[1][2] |
Injured | 56[3] |
Perpetrators | ![]() |
On 27 June 2022, the Russian Armed Forces fired missiles at the Amstor shopping mall in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast. A fire broke out and the attack killed at least twenty people and injured at least 56.[2] A three-day mourning was declared in the city.[4] Russian state-controlled media and authorities made a number of mutually contradictory claims about the attack that have been debunked.[5][6]
Background
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, the shelling of the Amstor shopping center became the fifth attack on the city. The shelling on June 27 caused the largest number of casualties. Prior to that, attacks had taken place on April 2 and 24, May 12 and June 18.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kremenchuk was an industrial city of about 217,000 inhabitants and the location of the country's largest oil refinery, located some 10 km (6.2 mi) from the mall.[13] The shopping mall that was struck, located in the city center, covered an area of about 1 hectare (0.010 km2).[14]
Attack
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, there were more than 1,000 people inside the mall when the strike occurred.[15] An employee in the mall told reporters that many felt they were safe at the mall as they were not a place of danger for the Russians and away from front lines. Similar comments were echoed by a shopper who expressed shock that the mall was targeted, calling it a safe place with women and children.[16] The area of the fire was more than 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft), up to 20 vehicles were involved in extinguishing the fire.[2] Zelenskyy blamed the Russian Armed Forces for the attack.[17]
According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the destruction of civilians was carried out by Kh-22 anti-ship missiles launched from Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bombers that took off from the Shaikovka airfield (in the Kaluga region), and the missiles were launched over the territory of the Kursk region.[2] The second missile struck the Kredmash road machinery plant to the north of the mall.[18] The Kredmash plant had been involved in the repair of armored personnel carriers (BTR-70s) in 2014.[19]
Russia's defence ministry later officially admitted responsibility for the attack, though the mall was said not to have been the intended target.[20]
Casualties
Dmytro Lunin, Governor of Poltava Oblast, said 20 people were dead and 56 people were injured.[2][3]
Reactions
The leaders of the G7 nations described the missile strike as an "abominable attack. We stand united with Ukraine in mourning the innocent victims", they said in a joint statement. "Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime."[21]
US secretary of state Antony Blinken called the attack an "atrocity" and said, "The world is horrified by Russia's missile strike today, which hit a crowded Ukrainian shopping mall".[22] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the "cruelty and barbarism" of the attack and conveyed condolences to the civilians affected, also reaffirming support for Ukraine.[23]
Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba tweeted that the attack was a disgrace to humanity and that Russia must face consequences in the form of more heavy arms to Ukraine and more sanctions against Russia.[14] Mayor Vitaliy Maletskiy stated the attack targeted a area that was "100% certain not to have any links to the armed forces."[24]
Pro-Russian Telegram channels have spread multiple conflicting theories about the missile strike, including the claim that the missile was aimed at a car factory near the mall, that the mall was being used as a military equipment warehouse, or as a base of the Territorial Defense Forces, and that the missile strike is a Ukrainian provocation involving the use of "canned bodies".[25]
Coverage in Russia
Russian authorities and state-controlled media issued a number of contradictory statements about the attack, including claims that the attack was “fake” and that the Ukrainians had bombed the mall themselves.[26] During the first day after the attack, Russian television failed to report it until Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that it did happen.[27] On the following day, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that "Russian Aerospace Forces delivered strikes by precision weapons against hangars of US and EU weapons and ammunition in Kremenchug near Poltava"[28] He also said: "The detonation of the munitions for western weaponry in storage led to a fire in a non-functioning shopping centre next to the factory."[20]
Aftermath
A memorial to those who died in the attack and were wounded was quickly set up near the buildings ruins. Residents left items such as lit candles and flowers at the memorial while others prayed or waited to hear about those still missing from the attack.[16]
See also
- Kramatorsk railway station attack
- Kyiv shopping centre bombing
- Timeline of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
References
- ^ У Кременчуку загинули щонайменше 20 людей - ОП
- ^ a b c d e "Российская ракета попала в торговый центр в Кременчуге. Погибли 20 человек, десятки раненых" [A Russian rocket hit a shopping mall in Kremenchug. 20 people died, dozens injured]. www.bbc.com (in Russian).
- ^ a b Tondo, Lorenzo; Sauer, Pjotr (27 June 2022). "At least 16 dead as Russian missile hits shopping centre in Ukraine". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ "Most of the shopping centre rubble in Kremenchuk has been cleared, mourning declared in the city". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Ukraine war: Kremenchuk shopping centre attack claims fact-checked". BBC News. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Kremenchuk attack latest to get Russian media blackout treatment". the Guardian. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Через обстріл Кременчуцької ТЕЦ близько 180 тисяч людей можуть залишитись без тепла й води" [Due to the shelling of the Kremenchug CHP, about 180,000 people may be left without heat and water]. www.ukrinform.ua.
- ^ "росія використовує в Україні надзвукові ракети типу Х-22, бо її авіація зазнає втрат - Залужний" [Russia uses X-22 supersonic missiles in Ukraine because its aircraft suffer losses - Zaluzhny] (in Ukrainian). Укрінформ. 13 May 2022.
- ^ "На Полтавщині знешкодили пів тонни залишків російської ракети" [Neutralized half a ton of remnants of a Russian missile in Poltava region] (in Ukrainian). Суспільне. 14 May 2022.
- ^ "Атака РФ на Кременчук на Великдень: ракети влучили у ТЕЦ і НПЗ, загинула одна людина, семеро зазнали поранень — голова ОВА" [Russian attack on Kremenchuk on Easter: rockets hit CHP and refinery, one person was killed, seven were injured - head of OVA]. nv.ua.
- ^ "У Кременчуці загасили пожежу на ТЕЦ — ліквідація тривала більше доби" [In Kremenchug, a fire was extinguished at a thermal power plant - the liquidation lasted more than a day]. poltava.to.
- ^ "Вісім ракет вдарили по Кременчуку, постраждалих немає – голова ОВА" [Eight missiles hit Kremenchuk, no one was injured - the head of OVA]. www.radiosvoboda.org (in Ukrainian).
- ^ Meitav, Roman (27 June 2022). "Russian missile hits Kremenchuk shopping mall, killing at least 11". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ a b Picheta, Rob (27 June 2022). "Russian airstrike hits busy shopping mall in central Ukraine". CNN. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ "Russian missile strike kills 16 in shopping mall, Ukraine says". Reuters. 27 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Kremenchuk strike: 'I didn't think they would hit a mall - it's a safe place'". BBC News. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Busy shopping centre hit by Russian strike - Zelensky". BBC News. 27 June 2022.
- ^ Manning, Joshua. "The Russian missile strike on Kremenchuk,Ukraine, on the afternoon of 27th June saw one missile hit a shopping centre, the other a road machinery plant". www.euroweeklynews.com. Euroweeklynews. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Бійці АТО отримали першу партію снайперських гвинтівок "Форт-301"" [Fighters of anti-terrorist operation received the first party of sniper rifles "Fort-301"]. Новини Чернівці: Інформаційний портал «Молодий буковинець» (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ a b Seddon, Max (28 June 2022). "Russia claims responsibility for Kremenchuk mall strike". Financial Times. London. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ Hughes, David (28 June 2022). "Ukraine: Putin's attack on Kremenchuk shopping centre a 'war crime', world leaders say". The Independent. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ Olearchyk, Roman; Brower, Derek (27 June 2022). "Russian missile strike on Ukraine shopping mall draws outcry". Financial Times. The Financial Times Ltd. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ Hughes, David (27 June 2022). "Boris Johnson condemns Putin's 'barbarism' after shopping centre missile strike". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ The Associated Press (27 June 2022). "Russian missile strike hits a crowded shopping mall in central Ukraine". NPR. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Российские военные ударили ракетами по торговому центру в Кременчуге" [Russian military fired rockets at a shopping center in Kremenchuk]. The Moscow Times (in Russian). 27 June 2022.
- ^ "Ukraine war: Kremenchuk shopping centre attack claims fact-checked". BBC News. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Kremenchuk attack latest to get Russian media blackout treatment". the Guardian. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Russian forces strike Ukrainian weapons hangars in Kremenchug, top brass reports". tass.com. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
External links
Media related to Rocket strike on a shopping center in Kremenchuk, 27 June 2022 at Wikimedia Commons