A shopping center in the center of Kremenchuk, a Ukrainian city which is not on the front line, was destroyed on Monday by a Russian strike, according to Volodymyr Zelensky, leaving 18 dead according to a provisional report.
A factory behind the mall was also hit.
The Russian Defense Minister contradicted the Ukrainian version, stating in particular that the shopping center was “out of service”
In the aftermath of the destruction of a shopping center in Kremenchuk, an attack attributed to the Russian army by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Russian Ministry of Defense responded, saying that the Amstor shopping center was not “functional” on Monday , or that the city station had also been hit.
Internet users were also surprised to see few cars in the parking lot, while the Ukrainian president had indicated that there were 1,000 people in the center.
This figure, however, corresponded to attendance before the air alert, people were able to leave the center when it sounded.
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Why were there few cars in the parking lot?
Videos relayed by the Telegram channel Ukraïna 24 show a few vehicles still parked when the emergency services intervene.
However, not all visitors to this center had to drive there: the shopping center is located in the center of Kremenchuk, 450 meters from the train station and 750 meters from the bus station.
The center's website indicates that three transport stops are nearby.
The mall was "out of order".
This was stated by the Russian Defense Minister.
However, several clues show that the center was indeed open to customers.
The Facebook page of the Astmor chain still indicated promotions in the mall in February.
A men's clothing store in the center regularly posts new arrivals or promotions on Instagram.
Their last post was a week ago.
As for the supermarket present in the center, which is part of the Silpo chain, it is not indicated as closed on the brand's website.
The Silpo press service also condemned the attack, indicating that six store employees are hospitalized.
An employee of Comfy, a household appliance store also present in the center, lost his life, the chain said on Tuesday morning on its Facebook page.
Five others are hospitalized "in stable condition".
Nine people also disappeared, adds Comfy, without specifying whether they are customers or employees.
25 people were hospitalized following the attack, the director of one of the city's hospitals told the Ukrainian site Rubryka.
Why would a shopping center have been opened when Ukraine is at war, some Internet users are also surprised?
As the correspondent of the American channel ABC, James Longman, who visited the site, recalls, the city of Kremenchuk is not on the front line: "Many cities in Ukraine are functioning normally, especially those that are remote from the front line.
These people [who were in the mall] had no reason to expect a hit.
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The factory behind the mall contained military items.
Although workers from the factory did indeed participate in the repair of three Ukrainian army armored vehicles in 2014, there is no official evidence that the factory is home to military elements.
The Kredmach factory has not produced military equipment since 1989, Nikolai Danileiko, chairman of the factory's supervisory board, told Ukrainian journalists invited to visit the bombed site on Tuesday.
The plant, whose beginnings date back to 1870, produces asphalt and road equipment.
The station, a strategic objective, was successfully hit
On Tuesday, Russian authorities released an infographic indicating that the train station near the shopping center had also been hit.
However, satellite images dated this Tuesday and relayed by the Bellingcat investigation site do not show any damage to the location of the station.
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