By Reuters | Posted by TOE

At least 16 people were killed and more than 130 wounded on Friday when several Russian drones ‌struck a shopping centre in central Ukraine, authorities said, with President ‌Volodymyr Zelenskiy promising a response to what he called an “act of barbarism.”

Regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha said ​that 22 children were among the wounded in the daytime attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih, which is Zelenskiy’s hometown.

“There are 29 people in serious condition, including five children,” Hanzha said. He posted a photo of black ‌smoke billowing from a large ⁠industrial building.

In an update early on Saturday, Hanzha said nine people were preliminarily considered missing, including two children, and ⁠that rescuers were continuing to clear the rubble of the shopping centre.

Zelenskiy called the attack “absolutely cynical and despicable”, saying that a second Russian drone hit the shopping ​centre ​half an hour after the first in ​what he said was a ‌deliberate attempt to target emergency services.

“Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram, urging the world to hold Russia to account. “We will definitely respond.”

In a separate attack on Friday, at least four people, including three children, were killed and a woman was wounded after a ‌Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s southern region ​of Mykolaiv, Ukrainian state media said on ​Telegram.

Russia is escalating its air ​war on Ukraine as fighting on the battlefield grinds toward ‌the 4-1/2-year mark. On Thursday, 17 ​people were killed in ​a Russian ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Ukraine has also stepped up its own attacks on Russia, targeting oil facilities ​and logistics infrastructure to ‌try to undermine Moscow’s ability to wage war.