President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an emotional address to the nation, detailing the inhumane Russian strike on a mall in Kremenchuk and emphasizing the need for Russia to be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism.

"This address is without greeting."

Today's Russian attack on a shopping center in Kremenchuk is one of the most despicable terrorist acts in European history. A peaceful city, an ordinary shopping mall, inside—women, children, regular civilians... Before the air raid warning was announced, there were nearly a thousand people there. Fortunately, as far as we know at this time, many people managed to get out. They were evacuated. But inside, some people remained: employees, part of the visitors...

To strike with missiles at such an object can only be done by absolutely desensitized terrorists who have no place on earth. And this is not a mistaken missile hit; it's a calculated Russian attack—directly on this shopping center.

It is impossible to establish the number of victims at this time. A fire broke out over an area of more than 10,000 square meters. Rescue operations are ongoing, but we must be aware that losses could be significant. As of now, it's known about 12 fatalities and 24 injured. How many people remain under the rubble—we are establishing.

All those injured will receive all necessary assistance—the Kyiv doctors have already set out for Kremenchuk. The Minister of Internal Affairs is on site, coordinating all necessary actions.

My condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died in this terrible terrorist attack.

And I ask everyone—always, when you hear an air raid siren, leave for shelter. It is mandatory. Do not ignore it. Russia will stop at nothing.

This morning, I addressed the United States of America with a call to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. The relevant resolution has been approved by the US Senate committee, and the legal decision can be made by the State Department. Such a decision is clearly necessary, and it must be supported by the entire democratic world. I spoke about this at the "G7" summit that took place in Germany.

As of today, Russia has already used almost 2800 different cruise missiles against Ukraine. The number of aircraft bombs and artillery shells hitting our cities is simply incalculable. Hundreds of thousands over four months of war. This is nothing but terror.

Today another brutal shelling of Kharkiv, northern Saltivka took place. As of now, it's known about five fatalities and more than 30 injured, including five children. All—civilians, no military personnel.

The Russian state has become the largest terrorist organization in the world. And this is a fact. This must be a legal fact. Everyone around the world should know that buying or transporting Russian oil, maintaining ties with Russian banks, paying taxes and customs to the Russian state—this means giving money to terrorists.

Also today, when addressing the "G7" leaders, I said that our collective potential is sufficient to defeat the Russian army—it cannot fight. All operations we conduct for de-occupation of our territories show one thing: occupiers crumble when there's something to push them with. They can't stand up against it. There are enough of them only for such cowardly strikes as those in Kremenchuk today or Saltivka, for total senseless destruction like that in Mariupol. So the war may not drag on if we all together manage to press and drive out the occupiers from our Ukrainian land. The sooner this happens, the more lives will be saved.

Even before the full-scale war began, we told partners that we needed modern anti-missile defense. We repeated it after February 24th. People in the shopping center in Kremenchuk deserved security just as much as people in any mall around the world—somewhere in Philadelphia or Tel Aviv, or a trade gallery somewhere in Dresden. The world is capable and must stop Russian terror. And now I can say this—I heard it from our partners: Ukraine will receive reliable anti-missile protection; we are awaiting delivery of corresponding systems.

And another important result of the "G7," which should be mentioned right now. It has already been officially agreed upon: the most powerful democracies in the world will support our state as long as it is needed for our victory.

Ukraine cannot be broken! Never.

Glory to Ukraine!