G7 Denounces 'war Crime' As Russian Strike Kills Shoppers

Kyiv, Ukraine, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jun, 2022 ) :A Russian missile strike on a crowded mall in central Ukraine killed at least 16 people Monday in what Group of Seven leaders branded "a war crime" at a meeting in Germany where they looked to step up sanctions on Moscow.

The leaders vowed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and those responsible would be held to account for the strike in the city of Kremenchuk, carried out during the shopping mall's busiest hours.

"Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians constitute a war crime," they said in a statement condemning the "abominable attack." Ukraine accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians, with President Volodymyr Zelensky calling it "one of the most brazen terrorist acts in European history" in his evening broadcast posted on Telegram.

"A peaceful town, an ordinary shopping centre -- women, children ordinary civilians inside," said Zelensky, who earlier shared a video of the mall engulfed in flames with dozens of rescuers and a fire truck outside.

Emergency services chief Sergiy Kruk said early Tuesday the death toll had risen to 16, with 59 wounded.

"All response groups are working in intense mode," Kruk said. "The work will go on around the clock," Kruk said on Telegram.

In separate attacks Monday, Russian rockets killed at least eight civilians as they were out collecting water in the eastern city of Lysychansk, said Lugansk region governor Sergiy Gaiday.

And a strike in Kharkiv killed four people and wounded 19 others, including four children, said Oleg Synegubov, head of Kharkiv's regional administration.

"The enemy is deliberately terrorising the civilian population," Synegubov said in a statement on Telegram.