Day 126 of the Invasion of Ukraine: 36 People are Missing after the Russian Strike on Kremenchuk

Here are the highlights of events related to the war in Ukraine over the past 24 hours:

Aftermath of the Russian strike in Eastern Ukraine

Rescuers have stopped searching for survivors of the Russian missile strike on a shopping center in the city of Kremenchuk.

Authorities say 36 people are thought to be missing.

Russia has denied attacking the mall, saying it hit an arms depot and subsequent ammunition explosions caused a fire in the mall.

Preparations for a referendum in Kherson

Russian troops have detained the former mayor of the occupied city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. Kirill Stremusov, deputy head of Kherson's pro-Russian military administration, said Igor Kolikhaev had openly called on city administration officials to sabotage and ignore the new administration's instructions.

Kherson region has begun preparations for a referendum on joining Russia, TASS reports.

The region is located in southern Ukraine and borders Crimea. In mid-March, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the region was under full control of Russian troops. At the end of April, a civil-military administration was formed in the region.

Authorities have also announced their desire to become part of the Russian Federation.

Battles continue all over the country

The governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region announced an "enemy attack" and said that rescue teams were looking for people under the rubble in the city of Dnipro. So far, there is no comment from the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Ukrainian forces will try to hold the line against Russia east of the city of Lysychansk to gain time for the arrival of Western weapons...