Russia-Ukraine War: Zelensky Claims Russian Troops Abduct More Than 200,000 Ukrainian Children Since Start of Invasion
(Photo : Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)
In a speech, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Russia of abducting about 200,000 children.

The American media has turned away from Vladimir Putin's conflict in Ukraine, but Russia's cruelty continues. Russian missiles struck a crowded retail mall in Kremenchuk, a city in central Ukraine far from the front lines, on Monday.

At least 13 people were verified dead, and 40 were injured, regional governor Dmitry Lunin posted on Telegram Monday, though the death toll is almost certainly higher because more than 1,000 people were inside the mall when the air-raid alert went off. A video on social media shows the building on fire.

Russian Missile Struck Crowded Mall in Ukraine

The mall was in flames as massive black clouds of smoke ascended into the air, according to a video released on Telegram by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Over 1,000 civilians were inside the mall at the time of the attack, according to Zelensky, which might result in the most lethal missile strike since the war began in February.

 According to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, the mall had no strategic importance" and presented no threat to the Russian troops. But Russia's plan is more than simply defeating Ukraine's military, which it has failed to achieve. The purpose of Russia is to weaken Ukraine's desire to resist, and striking civilians is part of that plan. Missiles targeted an apartment building and an empty kindergarten in Kyiv on Sunday.

A 7-year-old girl and her mother were hurt, and one person was murdered. A missile struck the Kramatorsk railway station in April as civilians flocked to evacuate the Donetsk region, where 60 individuals were killed, including children. According to an Associated Press investigation, Russia struck the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in Mariupol in March, killing 600 people. Even when there is no explosion, everyday air raid sirens frighten Ukrainians.

Russia has ratified the Geneva Conventions, which ban assaults on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Putin is unconcerned, and he believes he can get away with it if he can beat Ukraine or compel it to accept his peace conditions. If Russia wins in Ukraine, there will be more of this in other nations, WSJ reported.

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Zelensky: Area Has No Connection With Russia-Ukraine War

A request for comment on the Ukrainian charges was not immediately responded to by the Russian Embassy in the United States. On Monday, at least one Russian official tried to argue that the missile hit on Kremenchuk was a hoax.

On Twitter, Russia's deputy permanent representative to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, termed it a provocation by Ukraine and referenced Bucha, a Kyiv neighborhood where hundreds were discovered in mass graves following Russian control.

Ukraine has already claimed responsibility for the mass deaths of Ukrainians in Bucha and other sites. This assertion was made despite information supplied by locals, journalists, and specialists from organizations such as the UN and Human Rights Watch, as well as investigators from several nations, indicating that Russian armed troops had perpetrated many war crimes since the invasion began.

Zelenskyy claimed that the site posed no threat or strategic benefit to the Kremlin and that it added to a pattern of awful Russian activities, as per NBC News.

According to Newsweek via MSN, the missile strike occurred as US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan revealed that a US aid package for Ukraine was being prepared and would include improved air defense capabilities. The chief of the Ukrainian president's office, Andrij Yermak, was unapologetic about Russian aggressiveness in connection with the incident.

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