The war in Ukraine continues unabated, with “frontline” cities like Kharkiv suffering daily offensives from the Russian military. Last May 25, the city was the victim of a brutal attack with a series of bombs that hit the Epicenter shopping complex, transforming the megastore into a pile of rubble.
The first explosion destroyed the aisles dedicated to household products. A second bomb, described as “comet-like” by some witnesses, arrived a few seconds later, sparking a fire that turned the building into ash. A third bomb landed behind the compound but did not explode, offering Ukrainian authorities a crucial opportunity to analyze the arsenal of modern glide bombs Russians devastating eastern Ukraine. Despite the difficulties, Kharkiv residents like Nina Korsunova, who survived the attack on the Epicenter, remain determined not to abandon their city: «I will stay in Kharkiv. This is my home”.
Glide bombs: technology and destruction
These weapons, based on old Soviet-era bombs, have been retrofitted with electronic components imported from abroad that allow Russian planes to launch them from a safe distance. Moscow has almost unlimited supplies of these bombs, which are fired from airfields just across the border, beyond the reach of Ukrainian weapons. According to Associated Press analysis, Russia stepped up its use of these bombs in 2024, using an ever-expanding network of airstrips to launch devastating attacks on cities such as Avdiivka, Khasiv Yar, Vovchansk and Kharkiv.
Kharkiv: a city under siege
Epicenter store director Oleksandr Lutsenko said the May 25 attack was part of Russia’s larger strategy to turn Kharkiv into a ghost town. “They want to scare people, but they won’t succeed,” Lutsenko said. The attack, about the 50th on the city in 2024 alone, left 19 people dead, including two children. At least eight Russian air bases were used to launch the attacks, all within 100 kilometers of Ukraine. In late May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia drops more than 3,000 bombs every month. This incessant bombing has turned many Ukrainian cities into war zones, with homes and infrastructure reduced to smoking rubble.
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