Five Killed in Ukrainian Drone Strike on Market in Occupied Zaporizhzhia, Pro-Kremlin Officials Say
At least five people were killed and 18 wounded in a drone attack on a market in the occupied city of Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia region, according to Kremlin-installed authorities, who blamed the Ukrainian military.
Strike on Tokmak Market
Pro-Kremlin officials reported Friday that a Ukrainian drone strike on an outdoor market in the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine killed at least five people and wounded 18 others. Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-installed head of the Zaporizhzhia region, stated on Telegram that the victims were local residents.
Tokmak lies about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of the city of Zaporizhzhia and had a pre-war population of just under 30,000. Russian forces captured the town in March 2022, early in the full-scale invasion.
Reactions and Investigation
Balitsky posted photos of medics treating the wounded at the market, describing the attack as a deliberate strike on civilians. "Those who deliberately strike civilian targets are responsible for this tragedy," he wrote.
Russia's Investigative Committee announced it had opened a criminal investigation into the incident, treating it as an act of terrorism. Ukraine did not immediately respond to the allegations.
The Kremlin claims to have annexed the broader Zaporizhzhia region, along with three other Ukrainian territories, a move widely condemned as illegal by the international community.
