Russia attacked the "Epicenter" near Chernihiv again: the hypermarket was already destroyed in 2022
On the night of October 9, Russian forces attacked the "Epicenter" construction hypermarket in a suburb of Chernihiv. A drone strike caused a fire in the shopping center and damaged the roof of the building. This is the second massive attack on this facility: in 2022, Russian shelling virtually destroyed the hypermarket, which was later rebuilt.
The new strike was reported by the head of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration, Vyacheslav Chaus. The consequences of the attack were also confirmed by the operational command "North".
According to local authorities, Russian forces attacked the hypermarket after 3:00 a.m. using a "Geran" type drone.
The strike caused a fire in the central part of the shopping facility. According to a correspondent of Suspilne who worked on the spot, the fire spread to the roof of the building.
In addition to the shopping center, nearby residential buildings were damaged. In particular, windows were blown out in high-rise buildings. The number of damaged apartments and the final extent of the destruction are being clarified.
According to preliminary information from the Chernihiv City Council, there were no casualties.
At the time of the morning reports, rescuers were working to deal with the consequences of the shelling. Information on the area of the fire, the cost of the damaged property, and the further operation of the hypermarket has not yet been released.
The "Epicenter" near Chernihiv was already destroyed by Russian troops
The current strike is a repeated attack on a shopping center that was rebuilt after extensive destruction in 2022.
On February 28, 2022, Russian forces shelled the "Epicenter" on the outskirts of Chernihiv. Then a large-scale fire broke out and engulfed more than 22,000 square meters.
After the liberation of the Chernihiv region, specialists of the State Environmental Inspection examined the burned building. According to their estimates, 17 hazardous chemicals entered the atmosphere as a result of the fire. Environmental damage from air pollution was assessed at more than 8 million UAH.
Despite the destruction, the company rebuilt the shopping center. The rebuilt "Epicenter" reopened for customers in the fall of 2024.
Now, about two years after resuming operations, the hypermarket has again been hit by a Russian strike.
Previous strikes on the retail chain
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian army has repeatedly struck "Epicenter" shopping centers in different regions of Ukraine.
One of the most tragic was the attack on a hypermarket in Kharkiv on May 25, 2024. Russian forces hit the building with guided bombs while customers and staff were inside. The shelling killed 19 people and injured 54. The shopping center was destroyed by fire.
In July 2026, Russian strikes destroyed two more large facilities of the chain. First, on the night of July 21, the "Epicenter" in Sumy completely burned down. A few days later, on July 26, Russian drones attacked the only hypermarket of the chain in Kryvyi Rih.
In September, Russian forces repeatedly attacked the "Epicenter" in Mykolaiv. As a result of the strikes on September 4-5, the shopping center suffered major destruction and fires. According to the SES, two people were injured.
Previously, the company's shopping centers in Kherson, Bucha, Mariupol, Nikopol, and Kamianske came under Russian shelling.
Russia also attacks other retail chains
The latest shelling of "Epicenter" took place amid new attacks on Ukraine's retail and warehousing infrastructure.
The day before, on October 8, a Russian drone hit a construction supermarket "Oldi" in the Solomyansky district of Kyiv. The strike caused a fire and destroyed a metal hangar used for paint storage. According to police updates, three people died and two were injured.
In addition, on October 7, the "Auchan" supermarket chain reported damage to its fresh product warehouse as a result of a Russian attack. The company stated that the employees were not injured. The location of the facility and the extent of material damage were not disclosed.
Such shelling leads to losses of inventory, destruction of retail and logistics facilities, and creates additional risks for employees and customers.
Sources: Chernihiv Regional Military Administration, Suspilne Chernihiv, hromadske
