Russian strike on Kharkiv’s Epicentr causes over UAH 860 million in environmental damage
The environmental damage caused by the Russian attack on the Epicentr in Kharkiv on 25 May is estimated at over UAH 860 million.
This was reported by the State Environmental Inspectorate in the Kharkiv region, Censor.NET reports.
"As a result of the shelling, the building was destroyed and a fire broke out. The fire on an area of more than 14,000 m2 lasted 14 hours and 30 minutes. In addition to physical destruction, the fire led to significant air pollution by fugitive emissions of pollutants as building mixtures, paint and materials began to burn out, creating a smoke cloud over the city and an additional health hazard for residents," the statement said.
It is noted that according to the calculations of the State Environmental Inspectorate in the Kharkiv region, the damage caused by fugitive emissions of pollutants into the air is UAH 4.23 million.
In addition, the destruction of the hypermarket building resulted in the contamination of land resources, which caused additional environmental damage. The inspectorate estimated the damage caused by the contamination of land resources at UAH 855.9 million.
The environmental inspectorate noted that these amounts indicate a huge negative impact on the ecosystem and public health. The materials and calculations of the damage have already been sent to law enforcement agencies for further investigation.
Russian attack on the Epicentre in Kharkiv
On the afternoon of 25 May, the Russian occupiers struck at Kharkiv: they dropped two bombs on the Epicentr. As a result of the shelling, a fire broke out over an area of 15,000 square metres. Earlier, 14 people were reported dead.
On the morning of 26 May, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that the fire at the Epicentr in Kharkiv had been extinguished. According to the Interior Ministry, 16 people were reported missing as of the morning.
On 27 May, a day of mourning is declared in Kharkiv for those killed in the Russian strike on the construction hypermarket.
On 29 May, the search operations at the Epicentr hypermarket in Kharkiv, where the Russians had sent two bombs, were completed. Nineteen people were killed, including a 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. Another 54 people were injured.
