Zelenskyy Reports Five Dead, 52 Injured in Kryvyi Rih Strike

Five people were reported dead and at least 52 injured after Russian drones struck a Kryvyi Rih shopping center in two waves, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday.

Six children were among the injured. Zelenskyy said the second strike came about 30 minutes after the first hit and fire and targeted emergency responders.

All those injured were receiving medical care, according to the post. Zelenskyy offered condolences, described the attack as cynical and despicable and called such strikes “nothing less than terrorist acts.”

He urged international pressure on Russia and said the country must face accountability for peace to be possible.

The casualty count and alleged targeting of emergency responders could not be independently verified.

Zelenskyy details Ukrainian strikes

In an earlier post, Zelenskyy said overnight Ukrainian strikes hit an oil refinery in Perm, more than 1,600 kilometers from the border, and the Marinovka military air base in the Volgograd region.

He also referred to results in the Black Sea without providing details.

Zelenskyy said earlier strikes damaged a Russian Su-34 at Akhtubinsk air base, about 600 kilometers from the front line. Another strike hit a facility in Primorsko-Akhtarsk used to store, prepare and launch Russian attack drones, he said.

Zelenskyy placed that facility nearly 180 kilometers from the front line. The Ukrainian strike and damage claims could not be independently verified.

Russian ministry reports weekly military claims

Russian state news agency TASS reported that Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces took 11 communities across the Kharkov and Zaporozhye regions and the area it calls the Donetsk People’s Republic from Aug. 15-21.

The ministry attributed Kudiyevka in the Kharkov region to Battlegroup North. It said Battlegroup South took Pershomaryevka, Orekhovatka and Nikolaypolye in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Battlegroup Center took Andreyevskaya Obshchina, Krasnopodolye, Vodyanskoye and Matyashevo in the same area, according to the ministry.

It said Battlegroup East took Rybalskoye, Novosoloshino and Zelyonoye in the Zaporozhye region, with Zelyonoye taken Aug. 20.

The ministry also claimed Russian forces carried out one strike it described as massive and nine combined strikes using precision-guided weapons and long-range drones.

It listed military-industrial facilities, logistics centers, infrastructure, production workshops, missile-launch sites, depots and troop deployment areas among the targets.

The same report claimed strikes hit port infrastructure, two Ukrainian Navy patrol boats and 12 vessels involved in military supplies. The vessels included 10 dry cargo ships and two tankers.

The ministry put Ukrainian personnel losses at roughly 1,550 for Battlegroup North, more than 1,490 for West and more than 1,660 for South.

It reported more than 2,550 personnel losses for Battlegroup Center, more than 2,340 for East and more than 260 for Dnepr. The report did not divide those figures into deaths, injuries or other categories.

The ministry also claimed Russian forces destroyed tanks, armored vehicles, motor vehicles, artillery guns and electronic warfare stations in those areas.

Russian air defenses intercepted 8,477 fixed-wing drones, 26 Flamingo cruise missiles, 70 guided aerial bombs and 17 rockets from HIMARS and Vampire systems, according to the ministry.

It also reported downing a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet and said the Black Sea Fleet destroyed two Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels.

None of the Russian territorial, personnel, equipment or interception claims could be independently verified.

Call with the U.N. chief

In another post, Zelenskyy said he briefed United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on continuing Russian strikes and civilian casualties.

According to Zelenskyy, Guterres condemned Russian attacks on Kyiv and other cities and communities.

The two discussed threats to food security from attacks on port infrastructure and vessels. Zelenskyy said countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia were already feeling the effects and that prices had begun to rise.

Zelenskyy accused Russia of rejecting all proposals for negotiations. He said he and Guterres agreed to continue seeking ways to end the war, with the United Nations contributing to that effort.