Russian strikes on Kharkiv injure four, including three emergency rescuers
Russian attacks on Kharkiv injured four people, three of them State Emergency Service rescuers. Repeat strikes hit crews working at the scenes, destroying a fire engine, while an attack on the Epicentre shopping centre triggered a major fire. Russia also launched 153 strike drones across Ukraine overnight, including 92 reactive drones.
Key points
- Four people were injured in Kharkiv on 25 October, including three State Emergency Service rescuers.
- Repeat strikes hit emergency-service crews while they were responding to attacks in Kharkiv.
- Two rescuers were injured in the repeat strikes, and one fire engine was completely destroyed.
- Another rescuer was injured while extinguishing a major fire at the attacked Epicentre shopping centre.
- A civilian enterprise in Kharkiv’s Industrial district was also attacked, injuring one person.
- A later attack in Kharkiv’s Novobavarskyi district killed one man and injured four residents.
- Russia launched 153 strike drones overnight, including 92 reactive ones; Ukrainian Air Force data says 119 were downed.
Why it matters
The strikes endangered emergency responders while they were extinguishing fires and dealing with the consequences of attacks. Repeat strikes on State Emergency Service crews destroyed a fire engine and injured rescuers. The Epicentre shopping centre attack caused a major fire and was the third reported strike on the same store since August 2025, while attacks in Kharkiv caused one civilian death and multiple injuries.
What happened
Russian attacks targeted the Epicentre shopping centre in Kharkiv’s Osnovianskyi district and a civilian enterprise in the Industrial district, causing fires. One person was injured in the enterprise attack, and a rescuer was hurt while extinguishing the shopping centre blaze. As State Emergency Service crews worked at the sites, Russia carried out repeat strikes. Two rescuers were injured and a fire engine was completely destroyed. Later, reactive drones attacked Kharkiv’s Novobavarskyi district, killing one man and injuring four residents.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reports emphasise the danger to emergency responders, particularly after repeat strikes on State Emergency Service work sites destroyed a fire engine. They also focus on damage to civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv and note that visitors and staff at the shopping centre had taken shelter and were not injured.
Where reporting differs
One account attributes all three rescuer injuries solely to repeat strikes on emergency-service work sites, while another also records a rescuer injured while extinguishing the shopping centre fire.
Background
The attacked shopping centre was reportedly the only operating Epicentre store in Kharkiv. The same store was attacked twice in August and September 2025; one man was killed and six people were injured in those earlier attacks. During the 25 October attack, visitors and staff were reported to have been in a shelter and escaped injury.