Russia His a Ukrainian mall twice. The second strike targeted rescuers

Russian drones struck the Sunny Gallery shopping center in Kryvyi Rih on Friday afternoon. Then, roughly half an hour later, a second drone hit the same building — with firefighters and medics already inside. Ukrainian officials call it a double tap: a strike designed to kill the people who come to help.

The attacks killed at least 14 people and wounded more than 100.

Scripps News’ Chief International Correspondent, Jason Bellini, breaks down what happened in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, why the timing of the second strike matters, and how this fits a pattern the U.N. has been tracking all year — civilian deaths in Ukraine in 2026 now running at their highest level since the opening months of the full-scale invasion.

Kryvyi Rih sits about 40 miles from the front line and has been hit repeatedly. Last April, a ballistic missile came down near apartment blocks and a children’s playground here, killing 19 people, nine of them children. This attack came a day after a Russian missile strike on Kyiv killed 17.

The rescue operation continued into the night. Officials expect the numbers to rise.