Estonian-owned shopping centre hit by Russian drone strike in Kryvyi Rih

An Estonian-owned company operates the shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih hit by Russian drones on Friday, ERR reported. At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the attack on the crowded centre in the eastern Ukrainian city.

The centre, known in English as Sun Gallery, belongs to Arricano Real Estate, a Cyprus-registered company owned by Estonian investors.

Company owner Rauno Teder told ERR that it was still too early to assess the financial damage caused by the attack. He said nearly 60 million US dollars had been invested in the centre.

Arricano Real Estate owns several shopping centres in Ukraine, including centres in Kyiv.

Ukraine imposed sanctions on Arricano Real Estate last June. The company’s chief executive, Margus Kurm, said at the time that Arricano had not been informed of the reasons for the sanctions and rejected claims that it had continued operating in occupied Crimea.

Kurm said the sanctions, a criminal investigation that preceded them and the seizure of assets were an attempt to illegally appropriate assets belonging to Estonian investors.