Russian drones struck the Epicenter shopping mall in Mykolaiv repeatedly on September 4-5, injuring two people as rescuers fought the blaze under threat of a follow-up attack.
Russian forces struck the "Epicenter" shopping mall in Mykolaiv with attack drones several times over the course of September 4 and overnight into September 5. According to Ukraine's State Emergency Service, the repeated strikes injured two people — a 17-year-old girl and a 72-year-old man — and set the retail floors on fire. Volunteers Support Ukraine is following the aftermath of this strike, since attacks like this on civilian infrastructure create new, immediate needs for local people almost every day.
Russian forces struck the same mall in two separate waves: the first hit came during the day on September 4, and drones returned to strike the building again overnight into September 5. Military observers call this a "double-tap" tactic, deliberately timed to endanger the rescuers and medics who rush to the scene of the first strike.
Because of the constant risk of a repeat attack, State Emergency Service crews in Mykolaiv region were forced to pull back to a safe distance several times before they could return and keep fighting the fire. Even so, they managed to bring the flames in the collapsed structures under control, continuing to work through the rubble and smoke by hand, wearing breathing apparatus.
Thick smoke inside the building made it hard to see even with powerful lights, and crews had to feel their way through part of the site by touch and sound alone.
To reach pockets of fire too dangerous for people to approach because of the risk of a structural collapse, Mykolaiv rescuers deployed a robotic firefighting unit, which pumped water directly into the hottest spots inside the building while crews stayed at a safe distance.
The mall's own "Epicenter" sign and a fire truck's ladder against the damaged façade capture the scale of the destruction once the main blaze was finally brought under control.
Strikes on ordinary shops and shopping centers are not an isolated event for Mykolaiv region, and Volunteers Support Ukraine keeps helping people affected by the war in whatever way its available resources allow, including those who risk their own safety every day to save others.
