UPDATE 2 - Russia claims at least 2 civilians killed, 11 injured in Ukraine's missile strike on shopping mall in Donetsk

UPDATES WITH RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY STATEMENT; REVISES DECK

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - At least two civilians were killed and 11 injured in a missile strike by Ukraine on a shopping mall in the eastern city of Donetsk, local media reported.

The number of casualties is expected to rise, as many people were inside the Galaktika 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 news agency said

Ukraine carried out a strike with multiple missiles, and one hit a hospital, while others hit nearby residential buildings, it added.

A fire erupted in the shopping mall following the airstrike, with emergency services having difficulty reaching people inside the mall as shelling continues, according to the news agency.

- Russia condemns attack

The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned Ukraine's strike, slamming it as "cowardly attack" and a "carefully plotted act of terrorism" done to "delay the advancement of Russia forces at the front line."

"The task of the terrorist attack is the killing of civilians, the desire to sow panic. In addition, it is obvious that Kyiv got carte blanche from Western coordinators to commit as many atrocities against civilians as possible in order to undermine stability inside our country," the statement said.

The ministry highlighted the large number of civilians that were inside the shopping mall at the time of the attack, including children.

"The exact number of casualties, including people killed, remains unknown, however, based on media reports and video of the major fire, there might be many. The situation around the Galaktika shopping mall is aggravated by Ukrainian monsters' attempts to carry out strikes on rescue teams, firefighters who arrived to extinguish the fire, and doctors providing medical aid to the injured," it said.

The ministry stressed that Ukraine's "cruelty and terrorist methods" had the opposite of the intended effect, uniting the public against the threat, with the number of volunteers willing to sign contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry growing.

"We strongly condemn the latest barbaric terrorist attacks by the Kiev regime. The Ukrainian criminals who carried out the shelling of a shopping center in Donetsk and other attacks will definitely be identified by the investigation and will be severely punished for what they have done," said the ministry, pledging a "response that is as tough as possible."

It also called on the world community and international organizations to join the condemnation of the "mass murder of innocent civilians in Donetsk."

Separately, 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 said Defense Minister Andrey Belousov would join via video conferencing. He also urged the attendees to focus on the new technical solutions being implemented.