On 26 July, a «Shahed» drone struck a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, according to local media reports. A major fire broke out at the scene. The head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, Oleksandr Hanzha, confirmed the fire at the shopping centre, whilst the head of the city’s Defence Council, Oleksandr Vilkul, stated that the fire had been contained. Firefighting operations are continuing.
Briefly about the main points
- «A »Shahed’ struck a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih on 26 July.
- A major fire broke out at the site following the strike.
- The city authorities have reported that the fire has been brought under control.
- The local authorities organised the delivery of water for fire-fighting purposes.
- Details of any potential casualties are being clarified.
The explosion went off at dawn
Local media reported an explosion in Kryvyi Rih At around 05:54. The air raid alert in the city began at approximately 05:01, and prior to that, the Air Force had reported jet drones moving towards the city.
According to local media reports, the building hit was the «Epicentre» DIY store.
The fire has been contained; firefighting operations are ongoing
Oleksandr Vilkul reported that the fire had been brought under control. To ensure that fire-fighting operations could continue uninterrupted, «Miskvodokanal» and other municipal services organised the delivery of water.
At the time of Vilkul’s statement, there was no information regarding casualties. However, Oleksandr Hanzha noted that details regarding possible casualties were still being verified. The authorities had not disclosed the area affected by the fire, the extent of damage to the building, or the number of rescue workers or pieces of equipment deployed.
July was a month of drone attacks for the town and the district
The latest attack followed several strikes on Kryvyi Rih and the Kryvyi Rih district in July. In particular, on 7 July, a large fire broke out after a Russian UAV struck a civilian target in the city. On 14–15 July, the authorities and local media reported strikes on an infrastructure facility and an industrial plant.
Separately, on 25 July, communities in the Kryvyi Rih district came under attack: a 61-year-old man was injured in the Apostolivska community.
What is known about the implications for the retail premises?
The full extent of the damage and the timeframe for the shopping centre’s restoration have not yet been announced. According to «Pershyi Miskyi», the shop, which local media have identified as «Epicentre», had been operating in Kryvyi Rih since 2007 and employed around 400 people.
