{"text":[[{"start":10.65,"text":"Russian drone strikes on a busy Ukrainian shopping mall on Friday evening killed at least 16 people and injured more than 130 others, including 23 children, according to local authorities. "}],[{"start":22.8,"text":"President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said that Russian drones hit the mall in the south-central city of Kryvyi Rih during peak shopping hours in broad daylight."}],[{"start":34.5,"text":"“The attack drones struck in two waves — half an hour after the first hit and the fire, there was a second strike targeting the emergency responders,” Zelenskyy said of the bombardment that targeted his hometown."}],[{"start":45.65,"text":"The tactic, used by Russia throughout its war, is known as a double-tap attack, where an attack is followed closely by a second, deliberately timed strike on the same target to maximise casualties. "}],[{"start":57.349999999999994,"text":"Videos published on social media showed smoke rising from the mall after the initial attack as another explosive drone nosedived into the building."}],[{"start":66.14999999999999,"text":"Oleksandr Hanzha, the regional governor, said that nine people in the mall during the attack were still unaccounted for on Saturday morning, including two children, and that rescuers continued to search through the debris. Dozens of victims were hospitalised, with five children among the 29 people in serious condition."}],[{"start":84.35,"text":"Zelenskyy called the attack “absolutely cynical and despicable” and said Ukraine “will definitely respond.”"}],[{"start":91.6,"text":"“Attacks like these are nothing less than terrorist acts,” he added. The president implored the world to “respond to them accordingly — with real pressure” on Russia to end its war, which began four and a half years ago. "}],[{"start":104.8,"text":"In an interview with state television broadcast on Saturday, Vladimir Putin said air strikes against Ukrainian cities would continue and claimed they were helping his forces achieve their goals on the battlefield. "}],[{"start":117.3,"text":"The Russian president claimed Ukraine had “opened Pandora’s box” by increasing its strikes against Russian infrastructure and said Moscow was stepping up its own strikes in response. "}],[{"start":127.89999999999999,"text":"“Well then, your infrastructure will get our response,” Putin said. “If you want to destroy our logistics, you won’t have to wait for our army to react. Come and get it.”"}],[{"start":137.95,"text":"Putin also indicated he had rejected ideas for a ceasefire sent by Ukraine through back channels, which he said were “sometimes exotic in nature and unacceptable”. "}],[{"start":147.7,"text":"Russia has increased its air strikes against Ukraine in recent months, particularly with ballistic missiles. It has refused to sit down at the negotiating table and has attempted instead to pound Ukraine into submission while continuing its ground offensive on the eastern battlefields of the Donbas. "}],[{"start":165.14999999999998,"text":"A missile and drone attack on Kyiv on Thursday killed 17 people. The bombardment targeted industrial facilities, fuel depots, warehouses and residential buildings. "}],[{"start":175.95,"text":"Russia’s escalation has coincided with Ukraine running out of US-made Patriot missile interceptors. A global shortage of the only weapon Ukraine has access to that is capable of reliably shooting down Russian ballistic missiles has exposed a critical gap in the country’s defences. "}],[{"start":192.64999999999998,"text":"Early on Saturday morning, Russia launched ballistic missiles and drones at Kyiv and Odesa, damaging railway infrastructure in both cities, authorities said."}],[{"start":202.39999999999998,"text":"On Saturday, Zelenskyy spoke to President Emmanuel Macron of France “about all the most important issues”, in particular the need for air defence. "}],[{"start":211.7,"text":"Zelenskyy said Macron would “communicate with our other partners who have the necessary missiles for Patriots” and that they “agreed to accelerate the delivery of the latest French equipment and missiles”."}],[{"start":222.75,"text":"Ukraine, meanwhile, has intensified its own air campaign against Russian military bases, energy facilities, shipping vessels and ports that power the Kremlin’s war machine. "}],[{"start":235.4,"text":"Kyiv has also targeted warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer. Zelenskyy said the company played a crucial role in the transport of military equipment, including components used in drones. "}],[{"start":248.15,"text":"Senior Ukrainian officials said the strikes on the Amazon-like business were also in retaliation for Moscow’s attacks on facilities owned by Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s largest private postal service. "}],[{"start":260.2,"text":"On Wednesday, Putin ordered the Russian government to help rebuild Wildberries warehouses destroyed by Ukrainian drone attacks."}],[{"start":267.8,"text":"On Saturday, Ukraine appeared to expand its attacks by targeting a warehouse operated by Ozon, Russia’s second-largest online retailer, in the Samara region. The company said that 500 workers had been evacuated when a fire broke out. It said there were “some casualties” without providing specifics. "}],[{"start":287.40000000000003,"text":"Ukraine also hit an oil refinery in the same region. Zelenskyy said on X that the strike would deprive “the Russian war machine of millions of dollars in export revenues”."}],[{"start":297.70000000000005,"text":"Additional reporting by Fabrice Deprez in Kyiv and Adrienne Klasa in Paris"}],[{"start":310.05000000000007,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1787439811_9602.mp3"}