Supermarket director in Kryvyi Rih detained after store stayed open during air‑raid alert

A supermarket director in Kryvyi Rih has been detained as part of a criminal investigation after the outlet continued operating during an air-raid alert that preceded a deadly attack, Ukrainian authorities said.

Investigators open probe into store procedures and evacuation

Police investigators in Dnipropetrovsk region, working under the procedural guidance of the regional prosecutor's office, launched a criminal case for official negligence and ordered the detention of the director of one of the supermarket branches, Interior Minister Ivan Vyhovskyi said.

Vyhovskyi said the supermarket failed to cease operations despite local authorities’ calls to close facilities during air-raid warnings. He added that a large number of dead were found at the site after the attack.

"Police investigators and prosecutors have just ordered the director of one of the supermarkets to be detained," Vyhovskyi said.

Ukrainian authorities reported that on August 21 Russian forces struck the largest shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, the Sun Gallery. Vyhovskyi said 16 people were killed in the assault and around 130 were injured, and that approximately 20 minutes elapsed between the air-raid alarm being issued and the first drone strike.

The inquiry will examine whether staff and visitors were warned in time and whether evacuation procedures were executed promptly. Investigators will also check online reports alleging a shelter door had been blocked. Officials said they will assess the actions of company managers and the tenant that rented space inside the retail and entertainment complex, and whether established alarm response algorithms matched the threat level in the frontline area.

Vyhovskyi urged enterprise and institution leaders, especially in areas close to the front or the Russian border, to respond promptly to air-raid signals and take all necessary measures to protect people.

Photo: press material from the event