Kharkiv: Russia destroys the city's last working Epicentr hypermarket on third attempt

What happened

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in his weekly Telegram report that Russian forces had destroyed the last Epicentr hypermarket still operating in the city, Ukrinform reported.

“On their third attempt, the Russians destroyed the last Epicentr that was still operating in Kharkiv. They attacked this hypermarket three times over the past two months. After the first two strikes, it was possible to repair the store and reopen it. But on October 24, a series of strikes by jet-powered drones caused a massive fire. The blaze quickly engulfed all the sales areas and warehouses,” Terekhov said.

The mayor said the city is in contact with the chain’s management and is ready to provide municipal and operational-technical help to clear the site, remove debris and restore the area.

More than a shop

“For Kharkiv, this is not simply the loss of a major retail facility. First and foremost, it means hundreds of jobs. In addition, this was where residents went after their homes were damaged by shelling to purchase repair materials under the government’s eVidnovlennia programme and use certificates from charitable foundations to buy essential goods,” the mayor stressed.

A week of attacks

According to Terekhov, Kharkiv was attacked 36 times last week. Three people were killed and 28 injured, including three children. Russia mostly used jet-powered Shaheds – 28 of the 36 attacks. It also struck with Banderol drone-missiles, FPV drones, unidentified UAVs and Tornado-S multiple rocket launchers.

The private housing sector suffered most, and several apartment buildings were damaged. Civilian industrial enterprises, warehouses, offices, a TV tower and railway and energy infrastructure were hit. Blast waves damaged the Kharkiv circus building.

Follow-up strikes on rescuers

Russia again used follow-up strikes. “On October 24, while fires were being extinguished in the Osnovianskyi and Industrialnyi districts, emergency workers came under enemy fire. Three rescuers were injured. At one of the sites, a fire tanker was completely destroyed,” Terekhov said. The same day a drone strike in the Novobavarskyi district killed one person and injured three.

Why it matters

Strikes on large retail sites in a frontline city hit not only business but everyday life: jobs for hundreds of people, access to building materials for post-shelling repairs and the use of state aid. Repeated attacks on rescuers during firefighting make recovery even more dangerous.