Albanese Fuels Support For Ukraine As Russian Missiles Strike Popular Shopping Centre

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hailed Ukraine’s resilience, and said the besieged nation was “inspiring the world” with is resistance to Russia’s hostile invasion.

In Spain for the NATO Summit, Albanese said other like-mined countries needed to support Ukraine as “It’s not just an issue for Europe, but an issue in our own region that need to be dealt with".

“We know the invasion came just after the arrangement was made of a special relationship between Russia and China. That reinforces the need for us to be engaged,” Albanese said.

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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent economic pressures worldwide on soaring energy and food prices has dominated this year’s summit.

“(But) what Vladimir Putin has done with this invasion is to unify NATO and unify democratic nations against this action. Australia regards a strong NATO as being absolutely critical,” Albanese affirmed.

The Australian prime minister’s call-to-arms comes as two Russian missiles struck a crowded shopping centre in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, on Monday afternoon local time (early Tuesday AEST).

The regional governor of Poltava, Dmytro Lunin, wrote on the Telegram messaging app, that at least 11 people were killed by the strike, with more bodies likely to be found.

Lunin confirmed that 21 people had been hospitalised, and 29 others had been treated at the scene, without requiring hospitalisation.

“It’s an act of terrorism against civilians,” Lunin said.

“Missile strike on a shopping mall with people in Kremenchuk is yet another military crime by the Russians. A crime against humanity. This is an obvious, cynical act of terror against peaceful civilians.

- Gov. Lunin

Russia has ramped up missile across Ukraine in recent days, after capturing the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk after a weeks-long assault. 

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