Russian drone torches Zaporizhzhya mall to ground — photoreport

Emergency response crews extinguished a massive structural blaze covering more than 10,000 square meters, State Emergency Service (SES) reported.

The commercial shopping center was practically destroyed.

Local authorities confirmed the strike on the retail hub shortly before midnight on Sept. 17 as Russian forces attacked the regional center with waves of loitering munitions.

Public broadcaster Suspilne Zaporizhzhya reported that during the explosion, children were playing in an adjacent outdoor skatepark; they survived by rapidly diving into concrete recesses built into the skate bowls.

Firefighting operations were repeatedly hindered by secondary air raid alarms and active threats of follow-up strikes, forcing rescue units to temporarily pull back to bomb shelters. One civilian was reported injured, SES confirmed on Sept. 18.

"I heard a sound like a whistle and then a blast... It is deeply tragic. I always shopped here... I watched the exterior wall collapse on that side of the store. I walk here every single day... I am overwhelmed with fury," Ilya, a local Zaporizhzhya resident, told Suspilne while observing the ruins.

Another local resident, Kateryna, recounted being at home with her 12-year-old child when the detonation shook their apartment: "I stepped out onto the balcony and saw thick smoke and flames. It was an exceptionally powerful explosion; I was terrified, my child was terrified, and my dog panicked. I got dressed and walked over to look at the burning mall. It was sheer horror; I have never witnessed anything like this with my own eyes. It was colossal—the shopping center has burned down completely."