Russia claims at least 2 civilians killed in Ukraine's missile strike on shopping mall in Donetsk

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian media reported on Friday that at least two civilians were killed in a missile strike by Ukraine on the Galaktika shopping mall in the city of Donetsk.

The number of casualties is expected to rise, as many people were inside the mall at the time of the attack, Russia's state news agency TASS reported, citing law enforcement sources.

"Preliminarily, there is information about at least two fatalities at the Galaktika mall, with the emphasis on preliminary," the report emphasized.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin convened a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the ongoing situation in Ukraine and Russia's "special military operation."

During the meeting, Putin informed participants that Defense Minister Andrey Belousov would join via video conference from one of the control points.

The Russian president also urged the attendees to focus on the new technical solutions being implemented in the "special military operation."