In the evening of September 22, Russian forces carried out yet another strike on Zaporizhzhia, destroying a store of the Swedish retail chain JYSK. According to data published by JYSK's Ukraine director Yevhenyivanych Ivanitsa on LinkedIn and reported by RBC-Ukraine, this is the fifth store of the chain destroyed by Russian attacks in the past month. The strike hit the "Amstor" shopping center, where a large-scale fire broke out after the impact.
Chronicle of destruction: five stores in 30 days
According to Ivanitsa's statement, over the past three weeks Russian strikes have successively hit JYSK facilities in four cities: Sumy, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and twice in Zaporizhzhia. Each new incident was confirmed by the suspension of the respective store's operations: in Sumy it was the "Manufaktura" shopping center, in Zaporizhzhia — the "Amstor" shopping center. Thus, in just one month the chain has lost a significant part of its retail infrastructure in the south and center of the country.
No casualties, but with relocation
"The most important thing is that compliance with all safety requirements once again allowed us to avoid casualties among our employees and customers," Ivanitsa emphasized. The company stated that all employees of the destroyed stores will be offered the opportunity to relocate to other cities in Ukraine where JYSK stores continue to operate. This decision effectively turns a local incident into a staffing problem for the chain, which is forced to redistribute personnel amid ongoing shelling.
Strike on "Amstor" and the scale of the fire
According to the publication Delo, the evening attack on Zaporizhzhia on September 22 affected not only the JYSK store but the entire "Amstor" shopping center, where a major fire broke out after the impact. The operations of all stores located in this shopping center were suspended. A similar measure had earlier been taken with respect to JYSK facilities in Sumy after the shelling of the "Manufaktura" shopping center, as confirmed by both Delo and Interfax-Ukraine.
Retail outflow from frontline cities
In his address, Ivanitsa drew attention to a broader trend: due to regular attacks, Ukrainian cities are losing the familiar signs of normal urban life. According to him, major retailers — "Epitsentr", Sinsay, and Fox Trot — have already left Sumy and Zaporizhzhia. This means that the destruction of infrastructure and the threat of repeated strikes are becoming a factor forcing businesses to leave entire regions, which in the long term hits the consumer market and employment.
Zelensky: intelligence detects preparation of a new massive shelling
Against the backdrop of the latest strike on Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that, according to intelligence data, the Russian Federation is preparing a new massive shelling of the country's territory. This statement was made on the same day, September 23, 2026, and added tension to the already difficult situation in the frontline regions, where retail infrastructure continues to suffer losses.
