Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a Russian missile strike that hit a crowded Ukrainian shopping mall June 27 was “the latest in the string of atrocities” against the people of Ukraine.
Blinken promised continued support for Ukraine in a June 27 post on Twitter.
“The world is horrified by Russia’s missile strike today, which hit a crowded Ukrainian shopping mall – the latest in a string of atrocities,” Blinken said on Twitter. “We will continue to support our Ukrainian partners and hold Russia, including those responsible for atrocities, to account.”
Russia launched a missile strike on a crowded shopping mall in the Poltava region in the city of Kremenchuk, NBC News reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 1,000 people were inside during the attack.
At the time of the June 27 NBC report, 16 people were dead and 59 injured based on accounts from Serhiy Kruk, head of Ukraine's emergency service. NBC reported it was unable to verify the death toll.
Kremenchuk authorities had said 36 people were missing and that at least 18 had died, Reuters reported June 28. Dnipropetrovsk regional Gov. Valentyn Reznychenko, wrote on the Telegram app that Russia had fired six missiles, with three of them being shot down. Reuters noted it was unable to independently verify the governor's account.
At least one Russian official labeled the reports as a “false flag.” Dmitry Polyansky, the Russian deputy permanent representative to the U.N., claimed the bombing was a Ukrainian “provocation” on Twitter, according to the NBC report. The Ukrainian Air Force Command reported the missiles were from long-range bombers and took off from a Russian air base north of Ukraine.
