The Russian military said on Tuesday it struck a weapons depot in central Ukraine on Monday and the resulting explosions hit a shopping mall.

The strike hit "a depot with weapons and ammunition from the USA and European countries in the vicinity of the Kremenchuk automobile factory", the army said in a statement.

"The explosions of ammunition for Western weapons sparked a fire in the nearby shopping mall, which was not operational at the time." Ukraine had said a missile strike on the crowded mall killed at least 16 people.