Russian Strikes Destroy the Epicentr Shopping Center in Ukraine's Mykolaiv

Russian forces repeatedly struck a shopping center in the southern Mykolaiv region with drones overnight, damaging retail premises and sparking fires, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said.

A 72-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were injured, the emergency service said.

Emergency crews responding to the strikes were repeatedly forced to withdraw to safety because of the threat of further attacks. They returned to the scene whenever conditions allowed, the agency said.

According to Ukrinform, the Epicentr K chain of shopping centers announced this on Facebook.

"For almost a day, we fought to save our shopping center in Mykolaiv. Ten of our employees put out four fires in a row with their own hands. They climbed onto the roof, entered the fire-engulfed building, shut off damaged pipes, saved equipment, hid from Shahed drones – and then returned to the fire again. They almost managed to save the shopping center," the company said, adding that the facility was hit six times over the course of the day.

When the attack began, Epicentr employees "sheltered all staff and visitors." "Once the danger had passed, they went to save the building they consider their second home," the company said.

The Mykolaiv-based Epicentr employed 520 people, including workers transferred from shopping centers destroyed in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa.

According to Ukrinform, the Epicentr K chain of shopping centers announced this on Facebook.

(With inputs from Associated Press and Ukrinform agency)