--- title: "Drones Strike Occupied Mariupol: Fire Breaks Out at the 'Galaktika' Shopping Center" description: "On the night of September 7, drones attacked occupied Mariupol, triggering a fire at the 'Galaktika' shopping center. As of the morning, the fire is still ongoing, with no casualties reported." date: 2026-09-07T05:04:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/drones-strike-occupied-mariupol-fire-galaktika-shopping-center tags: [mariupol, drones, shopping-center, fire, occupation, ukraine] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Drones Strike Occupied Mariupol: Fire Breaks Out at the 'Galaktika' Shopping Center ![Firefighter extinguishing a fire at the Galaktika shopping mall in Mariupol after drone strikes](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/07/mariupol-pozhar-tc-galaktika-posle-ataka-dronov/mariupol-pozhar-tc-galaktika-posle-ataka-dronov-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - On the night of September 7, 2026, UAVs attacked occupied Mariupol. - The strike set fire to the 'Galaktika' shopping center (the former Ukrainian 'Epitsentr'); as of the morning, the fire is still ongoing. - There were no casualties as a result of the incident. - Since 2014, the shopping center building has been used under the occupation sign 'Galaktika.' - The day before, The Times published an investigation into 'building on bones' in Mariupol, which, according to the outlet, is being carried out by the son of a Russian State Duma deputy. 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. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Fire breaks out at a shopping center in occupied Mariupol overnight: what is known](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/okupovanomu-mariupoli-vnochi-spalahnula-pozhezha-1788757116.html) - Подтверждает ночной пожар в ТЦ в оккупированном Мариуполе. - ['Galaktika' shopping center ablaze in occupied Mariupol after UAV attack](https://www.dialog.ua/ukraine/v-okkupirovannom-mariupole-posle-ataki-bpla-pylaet-tts-galaktika.html) - Связывает пожар в ТЦ «Галактика» с атакой БПЛА. - ['Galaktika' shopping center catches fire in occupied Mariupol after drone attack](https://24tv.ua/ru/7-sentjabrja-2026-goda-gorit-tc-galaktika-v-mariupole-chto-izvestno-video_n3137055) - Указывает дату 7 сентября 2026 года и атаку дронов на ТЦ «Галактика». - [Drones attack occupied Mariupol: 'Galaktika' shopping center on fire](https://www.pravda.com.ua/rus/news/2026/09/07/8052196/) - Подтверждает атаку дронов и возгорание ТЦ «Галактика». ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What happened in occupied Mariupol on the night of September 7? **A:** Drones attacked the city, triggering a fire at the 'Galaktika' shopping center. As of the morning, the fire was still ongoing, with no casualties reported. ### Q: What is the 'Galaktika' shopping center and why is it linked to Ukraine? **A:** It is the building that, before the occupation, housed the Ukrainian hypermarket 'Epitsentr.' After the 2014 seizure, Russian authorities renamed the chain 'Galaktika' and continued the business under that sign. ### Q: Are there any casualties from the fire? **A:** According to available data as of the morning of September 7, no one was injured as a result of the incident.