On the night of September 7, 2026, unmanned aerial vehicles attacked Russian-occupied Mariupol. The strike triggered a major fire at the 'Galaktika' shopping center — a building that, before the occupation, housed the Ukrainian hypermarket chain 'Epitsentr.' As of the morning, the fire had not been contained, though available reports indicate there were no casualties among people.
What the footage from the scene showed
Video and photographs from the scene have been published in open social media channels: the footage shows flames engulfing the shopping center building, with thick smoke rising around it. The characteristic hum of the UAVs before the strike and the explosion itself can be heard on the recording. As of the morning of September 7, the fire at the 'Galaktika' shopping center was still ongoing, and no information on its extinguishing or the scale of the damage had been received at the time of preparing this material.
'Galaktika' shopping center: from 'Epitsentr' to an occupation sign
The shopping center that became the site of the fire has a complicated history. After the occupation of the Donbas in 2014, the Ukrainian hypermarket chain 'Epitsentr' was seized by Russian authorities, who continued the business under a new sign, 'Galaktika' — both in Donetsk itself and in other cities in the region under the occupiers' control. Thus, the strike hit an object that is used as commercial infrastructure within the occupation system.
'Building on bones': the context of The Times investigation
In recent days, Mariupol has also been widely discussed in connection with the so-called 'building on bones': according to media reports, Russian authorities are erecting new buildings on the site of ruins where residents of the then-Ukrainian city were killed during the fighting. The day before, an investigation by The Times reported that this business in occupied Mariupol is being carried out by Ilya Kolunov — the son of one of the deputies of the Russian State Duma. Housing in the new buildings, according to available information, is offered mainly to so-called 'heroes of the SVO' and Russian military officials.
Context: the occupation of Mariupol and its consequences
It is worth recalling that Mariupol was fully occupied by Russian forces in May 2022. During months of fighting, the occupiers massively shelled residential blocks, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure, which, according to estimates, led to thousands of casualties among the civilian population. The fire incident at the 'Galaktika' shopping center on the night of September 7 became yet another episode of hostilities in a city where controversial construction on the ruins of pre-war buildings is continuing in parallel.
