The Metro shopping center in Rivne has temporarily ceased operations after a Russian drone strike on October 21. The building sustained significant damage, and the company has begun assessing the extent of the damage and possibilities for restoration. No employees or customers were injured.
This was reported by the Metro Ukraine press service.
According to the company, the Russian attack damaged the shopping center at 21 Kulika and Hudacheka Street. After the strike, the facility was closed to visitors indefinitely.
"None of the employees or customers were injured," — emphasized Metro.
Currently, company specialists are assessing the extent of the damage and determining the necessary work to resume operations. Concrete timelines for reopening the hypermarket are not yet known. The company promises to provide additional information about reinstating operations through its official website and social media.
As reported by "Suspilne Rivne", the Russian attack occurred on the afternoon of October 21. Before the explosion, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had warned about the movement of a jet drone in the direction of the city.
Head of the Rivne Regional Military Administration Oleksandr Koval confirmed the hit on a commercial facility. Photos he published show serious destruction of part of the building. Emergency services worked at the scene.
This is not the first time Metro's trade infrastructure has been damaged by Russian attacks. As noted by Forbes Ukraine, on September 9 a Russian drone damaged a hypermarket of the chain in Mykolaiv, after which that shopping center also temporarily suspended operations.
In October, Russian strikes hit several large retail and logistics facilities in western Ukraine. In particular, on October 13 the distribution center of "Epicentr" in Khmelnytskyi was attacked, on October 16 the "Ekvator" shopping and entertainment center in Rivne, and on October 20 the "Epicentr" hypermarket in Dubno, Rivne region.
After the attack in Dubno, three people were injured. Strikes on commercial facilities result in destruction of inventory, damage to buildings, and forced shutdowns of businesses.
As of the evening of October 21, Metro had not disclosed the preliminary cost of damages or the timeline for resuming customer service in Rivne.
