The Russian army said on Tuesday it hit an arms depot in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, the day before, leading to explosions which Moscow said set fire to a disused shopping mall, while Ukrainians reported 18 dead in the bombing of a crowded mall.
The Ministry of Defense in its daily press release assured that it had destroyed with “high precision” missiles warehouses of armaments delivered by Westerners which were located on the territory of a construction vehicle factory adjoining the shopping center.
“The detonations of ammunition intended for Western weapons caused the fire (…) of a shopping center which was not open”, affirmed the Russian army.
Ukraine, for its part, on Monday denounced an attack that ravaged a crowded shopping center, killing at least 18 people according to a still provisional report. The strike was labeled a “war crime” by the G7 countries.
Since the offensive launched against its Ukrainian neighbor on February 24, Russia has systematically rejected all accusations of strikes or crimes having targeted civilians, speaking of stagings or blaming the adversary.
Moscow also did not recognize any blunders that resulted in civilian casualties.