Russia attacks four Epitsentr stores in Ukraine within less than a day
Russian forces attacked Epitsentr retail stores in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia and Poltava on October 25, causing fires and destruction. A woman was injured in Poltava, while a rescuer was injured in Kharkiv; the company described the strikes, which included repeated attacks, as the "total destruction of the network."
أبرز النقاط
- Four Epitsentr stores were attacked in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia and Poltava within less than a day
- A large fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia store and was brought under control; no workers were injured
- A 52-year-old woman was injured when a Shahed drone hit the Poltava shopping complex
- The Epitsentr building in Kharkiv's Osnovianskyi district was destroyed and one rescuer was injured
- No casualties were reported in Vinnytsia and Zaporizhzhia
- Epitsentr said the attacks included repeated strikes and called them the "total destruction of the network"
- Earlier Epitsentr stores were damaged or destroyed in Kyiv, Uman, Pervomaisk, Khmelnytskyi, Dubno and Kovel during October
لماذا يهمّ ذلك
The attacks damaged large retail facilities in four Ukrainian cities within less than a day and followed earlier strikes on Epitsentr locations during October. They caused civilian and rescuer injuries, destroyed a store building in Kharkiv and underscored the repeated targeting of a single retail network.
ماذا حدث
Russian forces attacked Epitsentr stores in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia and Poltava on October 25. In Zaporizhzhia, a large fire broke out after an attack on the retail facility; firefighters localized it and no workers were injured. In Poltava, a Shahed drone struck the shopping complex in the daytime, causing a fire and injuring a 52-year-old woman. Overnight in Kharkiv, the Epitsentr building in the Osnovianskyi district was destroyed. One rescuer was injured while extinguishing the fire, and a 39-year-old man was also reported injured. No deaths or injuries were reported in Vinnytsia and Zaporizhzhia. The extent of the destruction in Poltava remained under assessment, while Epitsentr said the strikes included repeated attacks on its network.
كيف تصفه المصادر الأوكرانية
Ukrainian reporting emphasizes both the scale and recurrence of the attacks on Epitsentr's network, including earlier strikes in other cities. Coverage focuses on the fires, destroyed buildings, injured civilians and rescuers, and the company's characterization of the attacks as the total destruction of its network.
أين تختلف الروايات
Sources disagree on the number of rescuers injured in the Kharkiv fire. Most report one injured rescuer, while one report says two State Emergency Service rescuers were hurt following a repeated strike.
الخلفية
The Epitsentr building in Kharkiv's Osnovianskyi district was previously attacked in August and September, when one man was killed and six others were injured. During October, stores were damaged or destroyed in Kyiv, Uman, Pervomaisk, Khmelnytskyi, Dubno and Kovel. The last Epitsentr store in Kharkiv reportedly burned down in an attack on the evening of October 24, before the Osnovianskyi district building was struck overnight.