Four Epicentr hypermarkets hit during attacks across Ukraine

Four hypermarkets belonging to the Ukrainian retailer Epicentr were hit during attacks reported over 24 and 25 October in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia and Poltava. The company said that facilities in all four cities had been damaged or destroyed within less than 24 hours.

The statement brings together incidents spread across central, southern and eastern Ukraine. It does not provide a complete site-by-site account of structural damage, stock losses, the number of staff or customers present, or the operational status of each affected store. Nor has it set out when any of the locations may be able to reopen.

Poltava response still under way

In Poltava, the head of the regional military administration said an unmanned aircraft struck the Epicentr shopping-centre building on 25 October. A fire broke out after the impact, and emergency crews were working at the scene while the extent of damage was being clarified.

Initial information from the regional administration said that a 52-year-old woman was injured. That figure should be understood as a preliminary account issued while the response was continuing. No further information about her condition had been made public at that point.

The Poltava incident supplies a confirmed local detail within the broader four-city account. It also illustrates why the company’s overall description should not be read as a completed assessment of every location. The immediate picture at the Poltava site was still developing, with responders tackling the fire and specialists assessing the building.

Four locations named by the company

Epicentr named Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia and Poltava as the locations affected during the two-day period. The company described the strikes as Russian attacks and said the impact had been directed at its retail network. The available information supports reporting that four of its hypermarket locations were affected; it does not establish the same degree of damage at every site.

There is a significant distinction between a facility being reported as damaged and one being reported as destroyed. Epicentr used both terms in describing the attacks, but did not publish a location-by-location breakdown of which description applied to each building. For that reason, it is not possible at this stage to give a reliable total for destroyed floor space, damaged merchandise or the cost of the losses.

The company has not announced a timetable for resuming trade at the affected hypermarkets. It has also not said whether alternative arrangements will be put in place for customers or employees connected with the four locations. Those questions remain open while the sites and their immediate surroundings are assessed.

A company-wide development

The event is notable because it concerns several parts of one retail network across four regions, rather than a single store incident. The company’s statement identifies the common business affected, while the Poltava account gives a specific picture of one emergency response. Together, those details confirm the breadth of the disruption without allowing firm conclusions about the scale of loss at each individual site.

For now, the established facts are limited but clear: Epicentr says four of its hypermarkets in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia and Poltava were hit over 24 and 25 October; a fire followed the strike on the Poltava building; and a 52-year-old woman was reported injured there. Further information on damage, reopening and any additional casualties will depend on subsequent assessments and official updates.