Russian strikes kill 10 civilians in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast over six days, targeting shopping centres and transport

Over the past week, Russian forces have killed at least 10 civilians and wounded more than 70 in a series of strikes on shopping centres and a minibus in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, according to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha and Ukrainian emergency services.

The deadliest single attack came on 10 September, when a Russian drone struck a shopping centre in the logistics hub of Pavlohrad. The strike killed five people and injured 67, among them eight children, Hanzha reported. Firefighters released by the State Emergency Service showed burning vehicles and thick smoke on the streets. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, saying: “The Russians used drones to kill people who were simply standing near shopping centres.” BBC News

Six days later, on 16 September, a Russian drone struck a fixed-route minibus in the Nikopol district. Five passengers were killed instantly, and at least seven others were hospitalised, Hanzha said on Telegram. The Prosecutor General’s Office released a photograph of the damaged bus. Ukrainska Pravda

On the night of 18–19 September, Russian forces attacked Nikopol city as well as the Marhanets and Tomakivka hromadas with drones, artillery and aerial bombs. A shopping centre in Nikopol district was damaged – Hanzha did not specify its exact location – along with infrastructure and a car. A 54-year-old man was hospitalised in serious condition; a 43-year-old woman received outpatient treatment. This attack alone involved more than ten strikes across four districts of the oblast. Ukrainska Pravda

The pattern of strikes on civilian infrastructure is consistent with what Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called a Russian “tactic of coercion. “Russia believes that relentless attacks on civilians can exhaust Ukrainians and force Ukraine into concession,” he said after the Pavlohrad attack.

Pavlohrad, a key railway and supply hub near Dnipro, has been hit repeatedly. Last month, two people were killed in a drone attack on warehouses there. The 10 September shopping centre strike follows a similar attack on a mall in Sumy on Wednesday that killed two and wounded 20, and a Russian aerial bombing in Sumy on Thursday that injured eight, including three children. In Zaporizhzhia, a shopping mall was almost completely destroyed on Monday but was closed and caused no casualties. The bloodiest recent incident in the region was in Kryvyi Rih in August, where Ukrainian officials say Russian drones killed at least 16 people and injured 130 at a shopping centre.

These attacks highlight the continued Russian willingness to strike crowded civilian areas far from the front line. The Dnipropetrovsk Oblast military administration has repeatedly issued air raid alerts, but drones often evade interception. With no let-up in the use of Shahed-type drones and artillery, civilians in the oblast face daily risk, especially in markets, transport hubs, and shopping centres.

The three incidents reported by Hanzha over the past six days bring the confirmed civilian death toll in Dnipropetrovsk to at least 10, with injuries exceeding 75. The true figure may be higher as authorities continue to clear debris and treat the wounded.