Kryvyi Rih: the second drone came for the rescuers

On a Friday afternoon two Russian strike drones hit the Sunny Gallery, the largest shopping centre in a city of 600,000, about half an hour apart. The first set the building on fire with shoppers and staff inside; the second arrived while firefighters and medics were working. Ukrainian authorities count 16 dead and about 140 injured, 23 of them children; the UN has verified 13 dead and 126 injured. No Russian ministry has claimed the strike.

Two drones ~30 min apart on an operating shopping centre; 13 killed, 126 injured — established (OHCHR, verification continuing) Double-tap strikes on rescuers; attacks on retail and logistics companies — pattern War crime: attack on civilians and on rescue personnel — position (Art. 438(2) CCU)

Russia said. Vladimir Putin · President · Vesti interview · 22 Aug 2026: “We have begun to respond to the enemy's actions against our civilian industrial facilities and logistics … It opened this Pandora's box itself.” — A statement of intent, not a legal justification. Reprisals against the civilian population are prohibited without exception (AP I art. 51(6)). A declared policy of 'response' the day after 16 civilians died in a shopping centre is evidence of state policy, not a defence.

Evidence held: OHCHR/HRMMU, Protection of Civilians, August 2026 (16 Sep 2026); Same update; Office of the Prosecutor General, 21 Aug 2026; Dnipropetrovsk regional administration (O. Hanzha), 21–22 Aug 2026.

Photo & video · 4 photos

Firefighters at the Sun Gallery shopping centre, 21 August 2026

State Emergency Service of Ukraine · 2026-08-21 · CC BY 4.0 · original ↗

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The shopping centre after the two strikes

State Emergency Service of Ukraine · 2026-08-25 · CC BY 4.0 · original ↗

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Rescuers searching inside the building

State Emergency Service of Ukraine · 2026-08-25 · CC BY 4.0 · original ↗

SHA-256 2d91de92ee95c619… · 206 KB

An injured person carried out of the shopping centre

State Emergency Service of Ukraine · 2026-08-21 · CC BY 4.0 · original ↗

SHA-256 cb4a6c2095581be6… · 134 KB

Download pack (ZIP · 4 files)Openly licensed official material only; videos are linked to the official post. No image shows the dead; images of graphic aftermath are blurred until tapped and marked sensitive in the pack. This is not an evidence repository: originals are held by the Prosecutor General (warcrimes.gov.ua) and the ICC OTP.