{"id":1254,"date":"2022-03-22T21:14:23","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T21:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/large-explosion-partially-destroys-kyiv-shopping-mall-killing-at-least-8-officials-say-the-washington-post\/"},"modified":"2022-03-22T21:14:23","modified_gmt":"2022-03-22T21:14:23","slug":"large-explosion-partially-destroys-kyiv-shopping-mall-killing-at-least-8-officials-say-the-washington-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/03\/22\/large-explosion-partially-destroys-kyiv-shopping-mall-killing-at-least-8-officials-say-the-washington-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Large explosion partially destroys Kyiv shopping mall, killing at least 8, officials say – The Washington Post"},"content":{"rendered":"

KYIV, Ukraine \u2014 By midmorning, there was little left outside the shopping mall beyond rubble, blood stains and broken glass.
On one side, the building had been reduced to a pile of debris. On the other lay remnants left by several victims \u2014 including their clothes. Used surgical gloves were scattered on the ground nearby.
The missile that struck the Retroville shopping complex late Sunday night killed at least eight people, officials here said, the latest violent attack on the capital in the past week that have left residents fearing what might come next. The devastation at the mall on Monday was some of the worst seen in Kyiv since the war began, and concern is mounting that Russia\u2019s frustration over its failure to seize key territory could prompt its forces to escalate its attacks.
Civilians milled about outside the next morning to survey the damage, well aware that the unpredictable nature of the assault meant those who died here just hours before could just as easily have been them.
\u201cThe whole city is dangerous,\u201d said Vitaliya Dubovetska, who lives on the 16th floor of an apartment building nearby and saw the strike from her window. \u201cAny place could be safe or unsafe. It\u2019s like a lottery.\u201d Photos on her phone showed an orange fireball erupting in the distance. She moved closer to the strike site on Monday to repair the windows at a relative\u2019s apartment across the street and then visited what remained of the mall.
Dubovetska and others said the attack occurred around 11 p.m. on Sunday, causing an enormous boom that rippled through the area. Due to a citywide curfew from 8 p.m. each night, journalists could not reach the scene until morning. It was not immediately clear who was killed in the attack, which took place at a time when most civilians would not be allowed outside their homes or shelters.
What is happening in Mariupol, the Ukrainian city under Russian siege?<\/a><\/span>
Just inside the damaged mall sat a grocery store that one former employee said was now being used for storage. Shards of glass and a large puddle of water sat in the hall. The ceiling was also damaged.
Troops guarding the door initially allowed a group of journalists to enter but then forced the press corps to leave. Vladyslov Kosiak, 21, stood across the street with two friends. They, too, had heard the strike the night before from a fourth-floor balcony nearby, then came to see the damage after the curfew lifted Monday morning.
\u201cThere was a very loud bang and the building started to shake like an earthquake,\u201d Kosiak said. Throughout the morning, the heavy report of outgoing artillery could be heard.
A territorial defense volunteer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk freely, said the strike was the result of a hypersonic missile \u2014 but did not offer any evidence. \u201cMaybe it was to show the Ukrainian military what they can do, that they can damage anything,\u201d he said.
Booms echoed continuously throughout the area Monday morning. When asked if one loud blast was incoming or outgoing, the territorial defense member shrugged. \u201cI don\u2019t know, but it\u2019s not here,\u201d he said, and laughed as he gestured to his immediate surroundings. \u201cSo it\u2019s okay.\u201d
The attack Sunday came as Russia insisted Ukraine surrender the besieged city of Mariupol. Weeks of attacks on the port have created a deadly humanitarian disaster. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky refused. Civilians in Kyiv said Monday that his defiance left them feeling proud despite their horror over the events unfolding within their borders.
Most communication to Mariupol has been cut off since the beginning of March, but some civilians have managed to flee. They have brought with them stories of hellish conditions, including mass graves and bodies left in the streets. Two Associated Press journalists stayed in the city for weeks<\/a>, documenting the horrors firsthand and helping the world understand the gravity of Russia\u2019s attack, which has allegedly included strikes on a theater, an art school and a maternity hospital.
Five questions about Biden\u2019s trip to Europe<\/a><\/span>
\u201cIf he would agree to give them Mariupol, tomorrow it would be Kharkiv. It\u2019s better not to negotiate,\u201d said Natalia, 44, who worked at the grocery store inside the mall before the war started. She spoke on the condition that only her first name be used due to security concerns. She, too, visited the site Monday to assess the damage.
\u201cFrom the beginning,\u201d she said, \u201cRussian soldiers thought we in Kyiv would meet them with a flower in our hands. But if they come, we will each give them two,\u201d a reference to the tradition of leaving flowers by a grave.
Her friend Oksana works in a food store next to where the strike occurred. She said the attacks on civilian infrastructure have only bolstered the civilians\u2019 resolve to stand their ground. \u201cWe will never let the Russian army come to Kyiv,\u201d she said. She had decided to stay in the capital out of a sense of patriotic duty. \u201cIt\u2019s better to die in an apartment here than to try to live somewhere else.\u201d
Still, residents worry the growing assault could make living here unbearable. Already, they are fearful and anxious \u2014 but keep pressing forward in hopes the situation will resolve.
\u201cEvery day I wake up to have breakfast and don\u2019t know if I will be alive for dinner,\u201d Natalia said.
Jennifer Hassan in London and Jonathan Edwards in Washington contributed to this report.<\/i>
The latest: <\/b>President Biden confirmed Monday that Russia has used hypersonic missiles<\/a>, which travel faster than five times the speed of sound<\/a>, in Ukraine. Frustrated with its lack of gains on the ground<\/a>, the Kremlin could also seek to escalate the war by using biological and chemical weapons<\/a>, Biden said.
The fight: <\/b>Russia \u2014 which has launched more than 1,000 missiles so far \u2014 is increasingly relying on \u201cdumb\u201d bombs to wear cities and civilians down<\/a>. Russia\u2019s assault on Ukraine has been extensive with strikes and attacks across the entire country<\/a>, and Russia has been accused of committing war crimes<\/a>.
The weapons: <\/b>Ukraine is making use weapons like Javelin antitank missiles<\/a> and Switchblade \u201ckamikaze\u201d drones<\/a> from the United States and other allies to combat the superior numbers and heavier weaponry of the Russian military.
Oil prices: <\/b>Sanctions on Russia are helping gas prices hit new highs. Here\u2019s why \u2014 and how long the surge could last.<\/a>
In Russia: <\/b>Putin has locked down the flow of information within Russia, where the war isn\u2019t even being called a war<\/a>. \u201cInformation warriors\u201d from around the world are working to penetrate Putin\u2019s propaganda wall<\/a>.
How you can help:<\/b> Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people<\/a> as well as what people around the world have been donating<\/a>.
Read our full coverage of the <\/i>Russia-Ukraine crisis<\/i><\/a>. Are you on Telegram? <\/i>Subscribe to our channel<\/i><\/a> for updates and exclusive video.<\/i>
Analysis\u2022<\/span>
News\u2022<\/span>
News\u2022<\/span><\/p>\n

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KYIV, Ukraine \u2014 By midmorning, there was little left outside the shopping mall beyond rubble, blood stains and broken glass.On one side, the building had been reduced to a pile of debris. On the other lay remnants left by several victims \u2014 including their clothes. Used surgical gloves were scattered on the ground nearby.The missile […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1254\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}