Russian double-tap strike on shopping center in Kryvyi Rih killed at least 14 and injured more than 100
Russian forces struck a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih with drones during the day on Aug. 21, killing at least 14 people and injuring 121 others, including 22 children, local authorities said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack came in two waves, with the second strike occurring about 30 minutes after the first, while emergency crews were already responding. Officials said the second strike involved a jet-powered Shahed-type drone flying at very low altitude.
The attack sparked a large fire that engulfed about one-third of the shopping center. Police and emergency crews evacuated visitors, treated the wounded and searched for people who remained missing. Officials said 29 of the injured were in serious condition, including five children.
Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets accused Russia of deliberately targeting places where civilians gather, saying the attack demonstrated that civilians remain a deliberate target of Russian forces.
Russia has destroyed or damaged over 300 Ukrainian gas stations in six months
More than 300 petrol stations across Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed in Russian attacks over the past six months, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said during a parliamentary Q&A session.
Shmyhal described the losses as significant for the economy, noting that petrol stations have effectively become critical infrastructure because they supply fuel to both the public and key sectors of the economy.
The government is discussing ways to protect the sector, including a war-risk insurance mechanism for petrol stations and the possible creation of a dedicated compensation fund in cooperation with the Finance Ministry and businesses.
Russia runs a secret biological laboratory on the island Lysiy
According to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), Russia has established a secret military complex of biological laboratories on Lisy Island (also referred to as Lisiy Island) in the middle of the Vyshny Volochyok Reservoir in Tver Oblast. The facility, officially named the “Center for Experimental Physiology,” is formally subordinate to Russia’s Federal Medical-Biological Agency. Ukrainian intelligence claims it was created on the direct orders of President Vladimir Putin as a high-priority project intended to “ensure Russia’s defense capability and security.”
Under the official cover of veterinary and physiological research, the complex is allegedly used to conduct experiments with dangerous viruses and other pathogens in the interests of the Russian armed forces. GUR reports that since 2023 the waters surrounding the island have been completely closed to fishing, swimming, and boating, designated as a “specially protected area of regional significance.” The site is under heightened security: it is guarded on land and protected from the air by air-defense missile units. Responsibility for the security regime is said to rest with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov. Guards stationed at the facility have reportedly expressed private fears of becoming infected with unknown pathogens.
Ukrainian intelligence warns that a leak of dangerous pathogens or chemicals into the reservoir could have catastrophic consequences. The body of water supplies drinking water to several local settlements, and the Tvertsa River, which flows into the Volga, originates from the area. GUR does not rule out the possibility that a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak among cattle in Russia in spring 2026 may have been linked to failed experiments at the facility. Historical CIA documents from the Cold War era previously identified Lisy Island as a Soviet biological warfare research site, adding context to current concerns.