Business after the attacks: “Epicenter” lost more than $1 billion due to Russian attacks
16 September 2025 14:17
Russian occupation forces continue to target economic facilities in Ukraine. Today the enemy attacked the largest logistics center of the Epicenter retail chain in Kyiv region. During the full-scale war, dozens of the company’s facilities in different regions of the country have already come under fire. According to independent experts, the total losses of the Epicenter group of companies caused by Russian aggression exceeded $1 billion,
The scale of the destruction
On the night of September 16 , Russian drones attacked the Epicenter logistics center in Fastiv district of Kyiv region.
The attack caused a large-scale fire in the warehouses and parking lot.
The attack resulted in a large-scale fire, which rescuers are now trying to localize, said Yulia Chudnovets, head of the public relations department at Epicenter K.
According to the head of the department, no one was killed or injured, but the company again suffered significant losses.
Russian publics write about a deliberate attack by the occupiers on the logistics center of the Epicenter shopping center chain in Kyiv region.
Previous losses and other targets
This is not the first attack on Epicenter’s facilities since the beginning of the full-scale war. Although the exact list of each damaged Epicenter facility is not always made public, there are several important facts.
According to the company and independent experts, dozens of Epicenter’s facilities have been destroyed or damaged in different regions of Ukraine as a result of military aggression.
The head of the public relations department of Epicentr K reminded that dozens of the company’s facilities in different regions of Ukraine were destroyed during the full-scale war. According to independent experts, the total amount of losses incurred by the Epicenter group of companies as a result of military aggression has already exceeded $1 billion.
“The enemy is deliberately destroying the business that works for Ukrainians every day, providing them with essential goods. Despite these attacks, we remain in our place, holding on and working for the country,” added Chudnovets.
Even in previous periods of the war, the company suffered significant losses due to destroyed shopping centers, lost space and facilities. For example, in the summer of 2025, the Epicenter shopping center in Kamianske was completely destroyed by a missile, covering an area of about 11,000 square meters.
In addition, the company lost control of several retail facilities after the annexation of Ukrainian territories in 2014 – seven facilities with a total area of about 163,200 square meters, which resulted in losses of at least $267.5 million.
What compensation can businesses receive for destroyed property during the war?
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s economic infrastructure are causing billions of dollars in business losses. Among the victims is the Epicenter retail chain, whose logistics and retail facilities have been repeatedly targeted. In such cases, businesses can count on state compensation for damaged or destroyed property.
Ukraine has programs to help people and businesses in cases of destruction or damage to buildings. For businesses, there is a mechanism for applying for compensation or restoration, where the damage is recorded and an estimate is made of the cost required to restore the damaged property. This is financed from the state budget.
State support and reimbursement
Read more about reimbursement mechanisms in the commentary
How the procedure for fixing losses works
“Today in Ukraine there are programs to help both people and businesses in cases of destruction or damage to buildings. For businesses – production facilities, production premises, warehouses, just as citizens apply for compensation or restoration through a certain state system, taking pictures of the objects, independently, and inviting representatives of the authorities, who record, police, local authorities, who record all these destructions and damages, setting an approximate estimate of what is needed to restore the damaged property,” Novak explained.
According to him, businesses should follow the same procedure: call the police and local authorities, who document the destruction and make an estimate.
Who finances compensation
“The state program for business works the same way, the principle is the same. The police arrive on call, the victims, representatives of the local authorities where the facility is located arrive, and they document the destruction and direct material damage from this destruction, and, again, the estimate that is necessary for restoration, in order to resume the work of a particular enterprise,” the expert said.
He emphasized that compensation is paid from the state budget.
International programs
Andriy Novak also draws attention to the fact that there are additional international programs for citizens aimed at rebuilding housing.
“But there are still international programs for the population, which are aimed mainly at building new, simple, cheap houses, usually of the prefabricated type. That is, not brick construction, but prefabricated block houses, with modern materials, with modern technology, for those who have lost their homes that cannot be restored. There are also international programs in this area,” the expert noted.
Funds allocated in the budget
Compensations to businesses and households are made only within the limits of the approved state budget.
“Of course, the state budget funds are allocated exclusively for the items of the approved state budget. And in this direction – for reimbursement of restoration, this happens under several articles, both under the articles of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the article of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, because they also have destruction of their buildings, their families, and therefore reimbursement in this direction is carried out exclusively to the adopted articles of the state budget,” Novak summed up.
Conclusion
The attack on the Epicenter logistics center is yet another confirmation of the targeted attacks by Russian troops on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.
Despite significant material losses, there were no casualties.
The government continues to support the affected businesses through compensation and recovery mechanisms.
