Russian strikes destroy Epicentr mall in Sumy, ninth lost since war began

Epicentr K said a fire broke out in one of the retail sections of its shopping center at about 10:30 p.m. on July 20 following a drone attack. Due to the extremely high level of danger and repeated strikes, emergency crews were unable to begin extinguishing the fire for an extended period. The blaze eventually destroyed the entire shopping center. As of the morning of July 21, State Emergency Service crews remained at the scene.

The Epicentr shopping center in Sumy, with a total area of more than 23,000 square meters, opened on Nov. 1, 2014.

Epicentr K expressed its gratitude to emergency crews who continued their work despite risking their lives amid the threat of repeated attacks. The company also said it would do everything possible to support employees who lost their jobs and address the consequences of what it described as another act of Russian terror as quickly as possible.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, nine Epicentr shopping centers have been completely destroyed in various oblasts of Ukraine. Another remains in Russian-occupied territory, while 14 of the company's facilities have been damaged. A logistics hub in Kyiv Oblast was also destroyed. The total area of the company's destroyed, occupied and damaged facilities is about 660,000 square meters, the company said.

As previously reported, Russian forces carried out a series of strikes on Sumy on the evening of July 20 and overnight into July 21, damaging a residential building and targeting emergency crews as they worked to extinguish a fire. Six people, including four children, were injured.