Russian Strikes Hit Epicentr Store in Zaporizhzhia, Kills Two in Kherson

Russian forces launched a strike on an Epicentr shopping center in Zaporizhzhia on Wednesday, Aug. 12, resulting in a fire and significant damage to the building. Local officials reported no injuries among the staff. This followed a Russian ballistic missile attack on the city earlier in the day, including some missiles supplied by North Korea, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, described the most recent assault as occurring at night and provided images showing extensive damage inside the shopping center.

On the preceding day, Tuesday, Russia conducted one of its largest mixed missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia, with Ukrainian officials confirming the presence of North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles. Ukraine's Air Force reported a total of 20 missiles and glide bombs targeting the city overnight on Aug. 11, comprising three ballistic missiles, two Zircon hypersonic missiles, and 15 KAB glide bombs.

Epicentr's woes are compounded by the destruction of two major logistics and production facilities in the Kyiv region during Russia's major attack on Aug. 5. A logistics center on Viskozna Street in Kyiv was completely destroyed by fire, while another logistics and production complex in Kalynivka, Kyiv Oblast, was directly hit. One employee was killed, and three others were injured and later hospitalized. The Epicentr Ceramic Corporation plant, a major tile producer in Ukraine, was also targeted, halting production.

To mitigate potential supply disruptions, Epicentr announced plans to temporarily relocate production to two facilities abroad while preparing to resume manufacturing at a Ukrainian site. The company estimated that rebuilding the destroyed capacity would require at least 1.5 years, with a more likely timeframe of close to two years, underscoring the urgency of relocating production abroad.

The latest strikes also claimed the lives of two women in Kherson overnight, according to local officials. One woman perished after a Russian drone strike on her home, while the other was killed in Kherson’s Central District. Odesa also suffered damage, with Russian forces destroying the fifth floor of a residential building during the overnight attacks; however, no residents were present at the time, and no casualties were reported.