Destruction of the Epicenter in Kharkiv: environmental consequences and financial losses

On May 25 of this year, Kharkiv experienced a tragic event that has already left a huge mark on the city and its environmental condition. Rocket attacks carried out by Russian troops led to the destruction of the building of the "Epicentr" hypermarket, which caused significant pollution of land resources and the atmosphere, estimated by experts at 860 million hryvnias.

According to the State Environmental Inspection of the Kharkiv Region, the destruction of the hypermarket and the subsequent fire, which lasted for more than 14 hours, caused significant air pollution. Large areas were covered with burning construction materials and paints, which emitted hazardous substances, creating clouds of smoke that worsened air quality and threatened the health of local residents.

Environmental damage estimated by inspectors is more than 4.2 million hryvnias from unorganized emissions into the air, which reinforces the scale of renewable cleanup and health efforts. In addition, significant pollution of land resources significantly increased the ecological vulnerability of the region and became an additional incentive for further destruction.

Materials on the damages have already been submitted to law enforcement authorities for further investigation to determine responsibility and provide compensation to local governments, including for corruption offences.