On May 25, Russian forces launched a midday air strike on a construction hypermarket in Kharkiv, Ukraine, while over 200 people were inside,stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on X.
The strike hit the “Epicenter” shopping mall on Heroes of Labor Street, a building-materials store, leading to at least two confirmed deaths and 24 injuries according to Oleh Syniehubov, the Kharkiv Oblast Governor. Many individuals are also reported missing. The attack, involving two guided aerial bombs, caused a fire that engulfed 15,000 square meters of the building.
Emergency services are on site, tackling the firefighting efforts. The blaze, exacerbated by the presence of flammable materials, has the potential to spread to adjacent warehouses.
Zelensky has called for enhanced air defense and combat aviation capabilities from Western countries to prevent future incidents.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the strike.
Russia has launched another brutal attack on our Kharkiv – on a construction hypermarket, on Saturday, right in the middle of the day.
As of now, it is believed that more than 200 people were in the hypermarket. All the emergency services are already on the site and providing… pic.twitter.com/9ItlGHkkEY
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / ????????? ?????????? (@ZelenskyyUa) May 25, 2024
