ABC News May 25, 2024

Multiple people killed, dozens injured in Russian airstrike on Ukraine shopping center

WATCH: Russian missile strike hits shopping center in Kharkiv

Russian forces struck a Ukrainian shopping center in Kharkiv on Saturday, leaving four people dead and 38 people wounded according to local officials.

Sergey Kozlov/EPA via Shutterstock
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of shelling of a market in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 25, 2024.

Sources in local law enforcement tell ABC News they expect the casualty numbers to rise as this supermarket is usually crowded on weekends and employs dozens of people. Oleh Synyehubov, the Kharkiv governor, said on Ukrainian television that they have so far identified 16 people as officially missing.

Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images
Firefighters inspect a heavily damaged office building following Russian air strike in Kharkiv, on May 25, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Another strike hit the centre of Kharkiv, injuring 14 in an area where a post office, a hairdresser's and a cafe are located, city mayor Igor Terekhov said.

Synyehubov also said there was a second strike in Kharkiv that injured 12 people, including a 13-year-old boy.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 200 people were believed to have been in the shopping center when the attack happened. He continued to plead with other nations for support.

Vitalii Hnidyi/Reuters
Firefighters work at a site of a household item shopping mall hit by a Russian air strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 25, 2024.

"If Ukraine had enough air defense and modern combat aircraft, such Russian strikes would simply be impossible. And that is why we appeal to all leaders, to all states: we need a significant strengthening of air defense and sufficient capabilities to destroy Russian terrorists," Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.

ABC News' Popova Zaliznyak contributed to this report.