Russian drones slammed into a busy shopping centre in eastern Ukraine on Friday (August 22, 2026), killing 16 people in an attack condemned as “cynical and despicable” by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian emergency services initially said the attack had killed 15 people, wounding 130 others, 23 of them children. A second drone smashed into the roof of the building around half an hour after the first — a repeat strike that Mr. The meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing will be co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron – joining via video link – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Zelenskyy said in a post on X was “targeting the emergency responders”.
“The world must respond to them accordingly — with real pressure on the aggressor. Mr. Around 10 leaders including European Council chief Antonio Costa will be in Kyiv for the coalition meeting, according to an EU official. Zelenskyy held a call with UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday (August 21, 2026), updating him on Russian strikes and the civilian casualties they have caused, the Ukrainian leader said on X.
For peace to be possible, Russia must face real accountability,” he said.
