Ukraine unleashes revenge blitz after Putin kills 16 in ‘double-tap’ strike on mall as search for survivors continues

UKRAINE has launched a huge revenge blitz on Russia after Vladimir Putin killed 16 in a devastating “double tap” strike on a shopping centre. Volodymyr Zelensky‘s forces blasted a huge hub belonging to the Russian giant online marketplace Ozon in Chapayevsk, Russia. Ukraine blasted a huge hub belonging to the Russian online marketplace Ozon in Chapayevsk Credit: East2West It comes after Vladimir Putin killed 16 in a devastating ‘double tap’ strike on a shopping centre in Ukraine Credit: East2West Rescuers are scouring the wreckage of the mall for survivors as nine people remain missing Credit: East2West Hellish flames burned deep into the night at the shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih Credit: Reuters It comes as rescuers continue to scour the wreckage of the shopping mall for survivors. The deadly daytime Russian attack in Kryvyi Rih, the Ukrainian president’s home town, killed at least 16 people in the busy shopping centre on Friday. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! At least 130 were injured, local officials said, with two children among the nine people still missing. 23 children were injured in the attack, officials said, and three of them remain in serious condition. The blitz came in two waves, with the second strike targeting emergency workers at the scene treating those hit by the first blast, Zelensky said. He branded the attack as “cynical and despicable”, slamming Russian forces as “simply animals and vowing a strong response. Hours later, Ukrainian drones pummelled a huge Ozon hub in Russia. It’s the first strike on the company, whose rival in online sales Wildberries has been repeatedly targeted by Zelensky’s “long-range sanctions” in recent weeks. Most read in The Sun Ukrainian drones pummelled a huge Ozon hub hours after a deadly strike on a shopping mall killed 16 Credit: East2West Ukraine also blasted the Yeysk port Credit: East2West A second strike hit the Ukrainian shopping centre after emergency services arrived at the scene, Zelensky said Credit: Getty A train station was also blasted overnight in Odesa, Ukraine Credit: East2West The strikes have inflicted some £9billion in damages on Russia’s Amazon equivalent. Dramatic images show huge clouds of black smoke erupting from the enormous Ozon site, which is the size of 19 football pitches. The region’s governor Vyacheslav Fedotkin said there were “several casualties” from the blast. Ukrainian drones also set ablaze the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery. Zelensky said the strikes were “depriving the Russian war machine of millions of dollars in export revenues”. He added: “Ukrainian long-range sanctions continue to limit Russia’s military and economic potential, ensuring the aggressor state feels the impact of the war more directly.” It’s another blow to Mad Vlad’s economy – Russia is already suffering serious petrol shortages after previous attacks blasting refineries, ports and shadow fleet ships. Petrol pumps in Gelendzhik, near Putin’s clifftop palace have reportedly now run completely dry. Ukrainian strikes also ignited the Russian port of Yeysk, killing six. Zelensky slammed the shopping centre attack as an “act of barbarism”. European Commission vice president Kaja Kallas called the brutal blast at the Ukrainian shopping centre “terror by design”. She wrote on X that the strike showed “absolute and utter depravity of Moscow’s war”. A train station was also blasted overnight in Odesa, Ukraine, killing two. Comment now