Russian forces struck an Epicentr shopping center in Zaporizhzhia early Wednesday, Aug. 12, sparking a fire and causing extensive damage to the building, local officials said. No injuries were reported.
The attack came just a day after Zaporizhzhia was targeted by a Russian ballistic missile strike, including missiles supplied by North Korea, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, said the latest strike hit the shopping center during the night and shared images showing widespread damage inside.
Attack follows deadly Zaporizhzhia missile strike
One day earlier, on Tuesday, Russia launched one of its largest mixed missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia in recent weeks, with Ukrainian officials saying the assault included North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched a package of 20 missiles and glide bombs at the city overnight on Aug. 11, including three ballistic missiles, two Zircon hypersonic missiles and 15 KAB glide bombs.
Epicentr still reeling from Kyiv attack
The latest attack comes as Epicentr is still dealing with the destruction of two major logistics and production facilities in the Kyiv region during Russia’s massive Aug. 5 attack.
The hardware retail chain said a logistics center on Viskozna Street in Kyiv was completely destroyed by fire, while a separate logistics and production complex in Kalynivka, Kyiv Oblast, was hit directly. One employee was killed and three others were injured and later hospitalized.
Epicentr said direct missile strikes destroyed the two large warehouse complexes, while another missile hit its Epicentr Ceramic Corporation plant, one of Ukraine’s largest tile manufacturers, halting production.
A parking lot near the logistics complex was also destroyed, with 20 employees’ private cars burned.
To prevent supply shortages, Epicentr said it would initially move production to two of its facilities abroad while preparing to restart manufacturing at another site in Ukraine.
The company estimated that fully rebuilding the destroyed production capacity would take at least 1.5 years and more likely close to two years, making the relocation of production abroad an immediate priority.
Russian strikes kill 2 in Kherson, damage Odesa homes
The latest strikes also killed two women in Kherson overnight, local officials said.
One woman suffered fatal injuries when a Russian drone struck her home, while the second was killed in Kherson’s Central District.
In Odesa, Russian forces damaged the fifth floor of a residential building during the overnight attacks. The apartment owners were not home at the time, and no casualties were reported.