Russian attack on Kremenchuk: the first names of the Russian pilots involved in the crime established

Law enforcement officers have established the names of Russian pilots who attacked Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk on June 27 from Tu-22 bombers, said Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrskyi at a press conference on June 28.

The Security Service of Ukraine is conducting criminal proceedings in this case. According to Monastyrskyi, the article classifying the missile strike on the shopping center envisages life imprisonment.

"It is [Amstror shopping mall, ed.] a completely civilian facility. Neither the Armed Forces nor other military formations have ever been stationed here. There are no bunkers and warehouses with weapons. There is nothing here that would pose a military threat," the Minister said.

Rescue operation

Rescuers continue to dig through the rubble of the Amstor shopping center, targeted by a Russian missile. Monastyrskyi says that usually, this kind of work takes a week, but as of June 28, about 60% of the shopping center's rubbles have already been dismantled.

Rescuers dismantle the rubbles of shopping mall in Kremenchuk. Photo: Oleksii Nikulin / hromadske

About a thousand rescuers, representatives of the Armed Forces, local administration, and Kremenchuk municipal services are involved in the rescue operation.

Rescuers dismantle the rubbles of shopping mall in Kremenchuk. Photo: Oleksii Nikulin / hromadske

Twenty people lost their lives, and 40 people are considered missing due to the Russian attack, said Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Tymoshenko.

59 people were injured, 25 of them were hospitalized, but one person died in hospital. The Minister noted that the information on casualties is not final yet, as the rescue operation is underway.

Attack on Kremenchuk

Russian forces launched a missile strike on Kremenchuk in Poltava Oblast on June 27, hitting Amstor shopping center, where more than 1,000 civilians were.

The shopping mall was hit by Russian Kh-22 missiles fired from Tu-22 M3 long-range bombers. The bombers took off from airbase "Shaykovka" in Kaluga Oblast, the launches were carried out from Kursk Oblast, reported Air Force Command of UA Armed Forces.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Russia attacked "hangars with weapons and ammunition from the US and European countries near the Kremenchuk Plant of road machines" and that a fire in the mall was allegedly caused by the detonation of ammunition from the hangar. In addition, Russia claims that the shopping center "did not function."

During the attack on June 27, Kremenchuk Plant of Road Machines ("Kredmash") was also hit, but it produces asphalt mixing systems and spare parts to it.

The plant was opened in 1870 and produced horse engines, threshing machines, chaff cutters, and spare parts for them. In 1930, the company switched to the production of road machines. In August 1941, the plant was evacuated to the city of Kurgan, where the Kurgan Road Machinery Plant was established on its basis. It produced gas stations, gas containers, flamethrowers, parts for artillery systems, and other products.

Since 1991, the plant didn't produce military equipment and spare parts, says Chairman of the Management Board of the Plant Mykola Danyleyko.