Russian strikes kill 6 people in Ukraine, day after shopping complex attack | Russia-Ukraine war News
Russian Aerial Strikes and Ukrainian Drone Attacks Result in Casualties
By Al Jazeera staff, AP, and Reuters
Published Aug. 22, 2026
Russian aerial strikes on Ukraine have resulted in at least six deaths and 26 injuries, while a Ukrainian drone attack in southern Russia killed two children and wounded their parents, according to officials from both nations.
Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported Saturday that a missile attack had led to a warehouse fire in the Darnytskyi district, claiming one life.
In the Kherson region, Russian strikes caused the deaths of three individuals and injured 13 others, as confirmed by the regional military administration. Additionally, a report from Donetsk region indicated that Russian attacks had killed one person and injured seven, with five casualties recorded in the front-line city of Kramatorsk. In Sumy region, a drone strike resulted in the death of one man, while six others were injured in separate incidents.
In the city of Kherson, a drone strike caused a shopping center to catch fire, though no casualties were reported.
In Russia’s Krasnodar region, authorities reported that two children were killed and two adults were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike.
These incidents unfolded amid ongoing rescue operations in Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, where emergency responders were searching through the remains of the Sunny Gallery shopping complex after a recent assault. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, indicated that Russian forces had targeted the city’s largest shopping center using Shahed drones. A second wave of attacks reportedly aimed at emergency crews assisting at the scene.
Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha updated the public on Saturday, noting that the death toll in Kryvyi Rih had reached 16, with over 130 injured, including 22 children.
Zelenskyy condemned the Friday assault as “absolutely cynical and despicable,” characterizing the incident as an “act of barbarism.” He vowed a swift response, emphasizing that such attacks amount to acts of terrorism.
Al Jazeera reporter Audrey MacAlpine noted that the drone attack commenced at approximately 4:30 p.m., a time when the mall was typically crowded, followed by a second wave around 30 minutes later, coinciding with the arrival of rescue workers from nearby regions.
The conflict continues to inflict civilian casualties, with July being one of the deadliest months for non-combatants on both sides since the onset of the large-scale war. This situation exemplifies the broader impact of the conflict, which extends beyond the front lines, affecting ordinary citizens.
