On Wednesday evening, September 9, Russian forces struck Khmelnytskyi. According to reports citing Serhiy Tyurin, head of the Khmelnytskyi Regional Military Administration, and the channel of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU), debris from an aerial target shot down by air defense systems fell on the city, triggering a fire at one of the local markets. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine. The situation was complicated by the fact that, already during the deployment of SESU personnel and equipment to the scene, a secondary detonation was recorded, resulting in injuries to several people.

Course of the Attack and Consequences for the City

According to statements by local authorities, the initial incident was linked to the operation of air defense systems: the downed aerial target and its debris fell within the city limits, sparking a fire at the market. Information about the fire and the falling debris became known in the evening hours of September 9, however, official bodies promptly confirmed only the fact of the secondary explosion and the associated casualties among the personnel of the rescue services.

Secondary Detonation and Injured Rescuers

As summarized by the SESU, a secondary detonation occurred at the scene during the deployment of personnel and equipment. As a result of the explosion, four rescuers were injured; all of them were hospitalized with injuries of varying severity. Emergency services also reported that the fire at the market was extinguished. Thus, the main toll of the incident was borne not by civilians, but by the personnel working directly at the emergency site.

Context: Series of Strikes on Khmelnytskyi Oblast

The September 9 incident became part of an ongoing series of attacks on the region. Thus, on September 5, the Russians also struck Khmelnytskyi: as a result, a multi-story residential building and parked cars nearby were damaged, and the territories of several enterprises were also destroyed. On the night of September 3, the entire Khmelnytskyi Oblast came under attack — due to shelling, a fire broke out at the warehouse of one of the enterprises, and one person was injured. In addition, on September 2, Khmelnytskyi district was hit by drones, where a warehouse and a truck caught fire.

Operational Response and Fire Extinguishment

According to SESU information, after the secondary detonation and the stabilization of the situation, the firefighters fully extinguished the fire at the market. The four injured rescuers were handed over to medical personnel and transported to a medical facility. Officials do not report any deaths as a result of the incident, limiting themselves to data on injuries of varying severity among the personnel of the rescue services.