At least eight people were killed after Russian bombs destroyed a shopping centre in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, according to local officials.
The Retroville shopping mall and cars parked in the adjacent lot caught fire following Russian shelling in Podilskyi district, Ukraine State Emergency Service said late Sunday.
Sixty-three firefighters were deployed to extinguish the flames that had reached as high as the third and fourth floors of the shopping centre, reports CNN.
“According to the information we have at the moment, several homes and one of the shopping centres [were hit],” city mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram channel, according to Reuters.
In the last few days, Russians have been consistently launching attacks on Kyiv while trying to surround the capital.
British intelligence on Monday said that Russian forces are advancing on the capital city – which remains under Ukrainian control nearly a month into the invasion – from the northeast had stalled.
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It said Ukrainian resistance had kept the bulk of Russian forces more than 25 km from the city centre, but Kyiv remains the “primary military objective” in the war.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced more than 3 million and raised fears of a wider confrontation between Russia and the United States.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the “special military operation”, which started on Feb. 24, is aimed at disarming Ukraine and rooting out dangerous nationalists.
Even as Russian troops show no sign of easing down, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed willingness to negotiate with Vladimir Putin.
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He, however, added that the negotiations could lead to a much bigger global conflict if the talks break down.
Watch | Russia-Ukraine crisis: Blast rocks Kyiv’s shopping district, 8 killed
(With inputs from agencies)
