Krivyi Rih mall hit by Russian drone strike belongs to Estonian investors
A Russian drone attack on Friday struck a crowded shopping mall in Krivyi Rih, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 130. The mall turns out to be owned by Cyprus-registered Arricano Real Estate, whose owners are Estonian.
On Friday afternoon, Russian drones struck a crowded shopping mall in the eastern Ukrainian city of Krivyi Rih. The attack killed at least 15 people and injured more than 130.
The damaged mall, called "Solnechnaya Galereya," belongs to Arricano Real Estate, a company registered in Cyprus and owned by Estonian investors.
Company owner Rauno Teder told Estonian broadcaster ERR that it is still too early to estimate the extent of the financial damage caused by the strike. He said about 60 million US dollars had been invested in the mall.
Arricano Real Estate owns several shopping centers in Ukraine, including in Kyiv.
Earlier sanctions
Last June, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Arricano Real Estate. At the time, the company's executive director Margus Kurm said the company had not been informed of the reasons for the sanctions, and that claims Arricano had continued operating in occupied Crimea were untrue.
According to Kurm, the sanctions, along with the criminal investigation and asset seizure that preceded them, amounted to an attempt to unlawfully seize property belonging to Estonian investors.
