Russian military says it ordered the hit after discovering Ukrainian rocket launchers parked on-site
The Russian Defense Ministry has released a video, claiming it shows Ukrainian rocket artillery using civilian buildings as cover before hiding inside a Kiev shopping mall. The site was destroyed overnight in a missile strike, which the Ukrainian authorities described as an indiscriminate bombing of a civilian target.
“On March 21 during the night, a high-precision long-distance weapon was used to destroy a battery of Ukrainian multiple rocket launcher artillery and the base where they stored ammunition, in a defunct shopping center,” Major-General Igor Konashenkov told reporters.
The Russian military spokesman added that Ukrainian troops had been using the Vinogradar neighborhood as a base of operations, showing surveillance footage to that effect. The video ends with what looks like a single missile striking the site.
The Retroville shopping center, between the Vinogradar and Podolsk neighborhoods on the northwestern side of Kiev, was struck during the night. Ukraine’s emergency services reported on Monday that rescuers had recovered eight dead bodies at the scene.
A nine-story building – the tallest of several on the property – was heavily damaged by the blast and subsequent fire, which was only extinguished about midday on Monday. The general area was devastated, according to images of the aftermath. Windows in residential buildings hundreds of meters away were reportedly shattered by the shock wave.
The office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general said the attack had been conducted by Russia in clear violation of the rules of war and will be investigated as a premeditated mass murder.
Before Moscow showed the drone footage, there was widespread speculation online that Russia may have launched the attack after seeing videos on Ukrainian social media showing the launchers at Retroville.