Russian drones destroyed the Oskar shopping centre in the Central district of Kherson during overnight strikes on August 22, according to local military officials.
Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, reported that no residents of the city were injured or killed in the attack, despite the total destruction of the building.
The strike triggered a heavy fire that completely consumed the retail complex. Published images from the scene confirmed that the targeted facility was the Oskar shopping centre, showing extensive structural damage throughout the property.
Prokudin stated on social media that all that remained of the building were completely burnt-out shopping halls, collapsed roof structures, and mangled glass facades and display windows.
Extent of damage in Kherson
Emergency services inspected the site following the overnight strikes to secure the perimeter and confirm that no civilians were trapped inside the ruined structure.
Kherson is a key port city and administrative centre in southern Ukraine, located along the Dnipro River. Russian forces occupied the city in early 2022 before Ukrainian troops liberated it in November of that year. Positioned close to front-line positions across the river, Kherson has remained a constant target for artillery, missile, and drone attacks.
As head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Prokudin oversees civil defense, emergency response, and public security across the region. Regional military administrations were established throughout Ukraine under martial law to manage local administration and coordinate emergency services during wartime operations.
Pattern of strikes on retail targets
The drone strike in Kherson followed another major attack on commercial infrastructure in central Ukraine just one day earlier. On August 21, Russian forces struck the Soniachna Halereia shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, killing 16 people and injuring approximately 130 others.
The Soniachna Halereia complex, also known as Sunny Gallery, is the largest shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih. The attack marked one of the deadliest strikes on a commercial site in recent months.
Kryvyi Rih is a prominent industrial city in the Dnipropetrovsk region, known as a major center for iron-ore mining and metallurgy. Ukrainian retail networks have suffered major disruptions across the country during the war, with commercial venues and logistics hubs repeatedly damaged by air attacks.
