Russian strike destroys Epicentr mall in Kharkiv, no injuries reported

A morning strike on Kharkiv destroyed the Epicentr shopping mall in the city's Osnovyanskyi district. Photos published by Suspilne Kharkiv and a number of Telegram channels confirmed the damage.

The State Emergency Service reported that the strike on the Epicenter shopping center in Kharkiv caused partial structural damage and a fire. Structural elements of the shopping center’s roof and building materials were on fire.

According to Kharkiv regional military governor Oleh Synehubov, no one was injured in the strike. Only one 65-year-old woman sought medical assistance after the attack — an employee of the damaged mall who had been in a shelter at the time of the strike and later felt unwell.

The national telethon program reported that the mall was closed at the time of the attack, which helped avoid casualties.

Earlier on the morning of Sept. 17, Kharkiv's mayor reported that a Russian jet-powered drone had struck an infrastructure facility, also in the city's Slobidskyi district.

Overnight into Sept. 17 (from 6 p.m. Sept. 16), Russian forces attacked Ukraine with various types of ballistic and cruise missiles, Banderol/Dan-T munitions and Shahed strike drones. The main targets were Kyiv city, Kyiv Oblast, and the Odesa and Zaporizhzhya oblasts, Ukraine's Air Force reported.

According to the Air Force, 7 of 10 Banderol/Dan-T drone-missiles were shot down, along with 124 of 157 drones of various types, more than half of which were jet-powered. The Air Force's report made no mention of any intercepted or neutralized Kalibr cruise missiles, Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles or Onyx anti-ship missiles, which Russia also used in its overnight attack on Ukraine.