---
title: "\"The enemy is striking shopping centers\": Intelligence warns of new attacks on malls in Ukraine's frontline cities"
description: "Ukrainian intelligence warns of possible new Russian strikes on shopping centers in frontline cities, including Kryvyi Rih. The head of the city's Defense Council urged citizens to avoid large malls and go to shelters during alerts; the number of victims of the recent attack varies across sources."
date: 2026-08-22T14:56:06.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/intelligence-warns-of-new-attacks-on-malls-in-krivoy-rog
tags: [krivoy-rog, shopping-centers, drone-strikes, ukraine, air-raid, defense-council]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "The enemy is striking shopping centers": Intelligence warns of new attacks on malls in Ukraine's frontline cities

![Fire at JYSK shopping center after enemy strike: firefighters extinguish the building amid thick smoke](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/22/razvedka-upredzhdaet-o-udarah-po-tc-v-krivom-roge/razvedka-upredzhdaet-o-udarah-po-tc-v-krivom-roge-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Ukrainian intelligence has data on possible new Russian strikes on shopping centers in frontline cities, including Kryvyi Rih.
- Alexander Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, urged citizens to avoid large malls and go to shelters when an alert is announced.
- The number of victims of the strike on the "Solnechnaya Galereya" mall varies across sources: from 5 to "more than a dozen" killed, with final data still being refined.

Ukrainian intelligence has data indicating that Russia may carry out new strikes on shopping centers in Ukraine's frontline cities, including Kryvyi Rih. This was stated by Alexander Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, in his Telegram channel, as noted by RBC-Ukraine. According to him, the enemy has already attacked two major shopping complexes in Kryvyi Rih — "Epitsentr" and "Solnechnaya Galereya" (Sun Gallery) — and strikes on other large malls in frontline settlements are now not ruled out. The statement came against the backdrop of ongoing assessment of the aftermath of recent attacks, at the scene of which, as seen in the photo from the site, fire and rescue equipment was at work: a ladder truck was extended toward the shopping center building bearing a JYSK sign, while thick smoke hung in the air.

### Intelligence data on new strikes on shopping complexes

Vilkul emphasized that this is not an isolated incident but a systematic tactic: "In Kryvyi Rih, the enemy has already struck two major shopping complexes — 'Epitsentr' and 'Solnechnaya Galereya.' There is intelligence data that strikes on other large shopping centers in frontline cities, and in particular Kryvyi Rih, are possible." Thus, according to the local defense body's assessment, shopping facilities with a high concentration of people are being viewed as potential targets, and the intelligence picture points to the likelihood of repeated attacks in the near term.

### Appeal to citizens: shelters and avoiding large malls

In this connection, the head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council appealed to residents to refrain from visiting large shopping centers or, at the very least, to visit only those malls whose owners have built shelters. The key requirement, he said, is to go into these shelters at the moment an air raid alert is announced. Vilkul also commented on the operation of retail facilities in the city, in particular regarding the destroyed "Solnechnaya Galereya" mall: according to him, the facility's management had been informed in advance that working during an alert is prohibited.

### Ban on working during alerts: who bears responsibility

Vilkul recalled that the decision of the regional and city Defense Councils to ban work during alerts had been communicated to entrepreneurs at a meeting of the city executive committee on July 29, 2026 — less than a month before the attack. More than a hundred entrepreneurs and store owners, including the management of "Solnechnaya Galereya," signed the document. "There, more than 100 entrepreneurs and store owners, including the management of 'Solnechnaya Galereya,' signed to confirm that they had been informed that working during an air raid alert is not allowed. And shifting responsibility for this onto visitors and tenants is wrong," he emphasized. According to him, on the eve of the strike at the "Solnechnaya Galereya" mall, an alert was announced over loudspeakers 20 minutes before the explosion, yet the stores continued to operate, people were inside, and few went into the shelter.

### Contradictory data

A significant discrepancy exists in the figures for victims of the recent double drone strike on a mall in Kryvyi Rih. The basis of Vilkul's statement and a number of reports indicate that the attacks killed "more than a dozen people" and injured "more than a hundred." Meanwhile, the publication Investigator, in an updated report, cites more modest figures — five killed and more than 90 injured, while early reports (including from Glavred) recorded one killed and a number of injured at the initial stage. Thus, the discrepancy in the number of killed — from one and five to "more than a dozen" — reflects either the step-by-step refinement of data as rescuers and medical workers work, or differences in counting methodology. The official final figure at the time of preparing the material is not unambiguously fixed, and both versions are presented openly.

### Kyiv's reaction and the context of the attacks

Recall that on the eve, Russia twice struck a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih with drones: according to eyewitness accounts, the second strike was carried out even while rescuers were at the scene. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy, commenting on the incident, promised to respond to these attacks. The combination of Vilkul's intelligence warning, the documented ban on malls operating during alerts, and the discrepancies in the victim data indicates that the issue of the safety of shopping facilities in frontline cities remains one of the most acute for local authorities and the population.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Russia may be preparing new strikes on malls in frontline cities, including Kryvyi Rih, - Vilkul](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rf-mozhe-gotuvati-novi-udari-tts-prifrontovih-1787410289.html) - Подтверждает разведывательное предупреждение Вилкула, удары по «Эпицентру» и «Солнечной галерее», призыв к укрытиям и запрет работы ТЦ во время тревоги (совещание 29 июля, 100+ подписей).
- [Russia attacked Zaporizhzhia and Kryvyi Rih: homes and a mall damaged, details](https://glavred.info/ukraine/rf-atakovala-zaporozhe-i-krivoy-rog-povrezhdeny-doma-i-tc-detali-10783676.html) - Подтверждает факт атак по Кривому Рогу с повреждением ТЦ и жилых домов.
- [Russian drones attacked Kryvyi Rih's largest mall: five killed, more than 90 injured (updated)](https://investigator.org.ua/war/285868/) - Подтверждает удар дронами по ТЦ, но называет 5 погибших и 90+ пострадавших — расхождение с «более десятка» в основном тексте.
- [Fire broke out, there is a fatality and the injured: Russia attacked Kryvyi Rih](https://glavred.info/ukraine/nachalsya-pozhar-est-pogibshiy-i-postradavshie-rossiya-atakovala-krivoy-rog-10781588.html) - Подтверждает факт атак по Кривому Рогу с повреждением ТЦ и жилых домов.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Which shopping centers in Kryvyi Rih have already been struck?
**A:** According to Alexander Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defense Council, the enemy struck two major shopping complexes — "Epitsentr" and "Solnechnaya Galereya."

### Q: What did Vilkul urge citizens to do?
**A:** He urged people to refrain from visiting large malls or to visit only those whose owners have built shelters, and to be sure to go into these shelters when an alert is announced.

### Q: Were stores operating in "Solnechnaya Galereya" during the alert?
**A:** According to Vilkul, the alert was announced over loudspeakers 20 minutes before the explosion, but the stores continued to operate, people were inside, and few went into the shelter.

### Q: How many people were killed as a result of the strike on the mall?
**A:** The figures vary across sources: one update cites 5 killed and more than 90 injured, while other reports say "more than a dozen" killed and "more than a hundred" injured. The official final figure at the time of preparing the material is not unambiguously fixed.