Ukraine has initiated drone airstrikes against warehouses of Wildberries, Russia's largest e-commerce giant known as the "Amazon of Russia," located in the Vladimir and Samara regions east of Moscow. This marks the second attack on the company's warehouses within a few weeks, resulting in fires and injuries.
Russian authorities revealed that Ukrainian forces launched unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, targeting Wildberries warehouses in Vladimir Oblast, about 180 kilometers east of Moscow. The attacks caused fires within the logistics center and prompted the evacuation of all staff from the area.
Wildberries stated in a press release that its shipping operations have been redirected to other distribution centers to maintain normal delivery and business functions, while firefighters worked swiftly to control the situation.
Alexander Avdeyev, governor of Vladimir Oblast, said the attack was carried out using drones. A young man sustained a head injury and was hospitalized, and a woman living near the site suffered minor leg injuries.
This incident occurred just one day after Ukraine struck another Wildberries warehouse in Samara Oblast. Since 18 July, Ukraine has attacked approximately 20 Wildberries warehouses across Russia and the Crimea Peninsula, which Russia annexed.
The first wave of attacks in mid-July targeted warehouses in Moscow and Tambov Oblasts, resulting in at least 8 to 9 fatalities and nearly 90 injuries. Subsequent strikes expanded to areas near Saint Petersburg, Simferopol in Crimea, Krasnodar, Volgograd, and Samara.
Wildberries is Russia's largest online retail platform, earning it the nickname "Amazon of Russia." The Ukrainian government has identified the company as part of Russia's economic infrastructure supporting its war capabilities, making it a target for long-range attacks aimed at pressuring the economy and undermining Moscow's war efforts.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported intercepting 635 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territory, Crimea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov. However, it did not disclose the total number of drones Ukraine deployed or how many successfully hit their targets.
Besides the attack in Vladimir Oblast, Russian officials reported at least five deaths from Ukrainian drone strikes in various regions. In Saratov Oblast, a drone crashed into a residential building, killing two people and damaging civilian infrastructure in Engels and Saratov cities, which host an airbase and a large oil refinery.
In the Udmurt Republic in northwest Russia, three civilians were killed and two injured in drone attacks. In Bashkortostan Oblast, air defense systems intercepted drone strikes targeting an industrial plant in Ufa, though fires still broke out.
The Ukrainian Air Force revealed that Russia launched 133 drones against Ukraine on the same night, with 24 reaching their targets. Separate attacks in Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv cities resulted in at least two deaths.
The ongoing reciprocal attacks underscore the intensity of the prolonged conflict entering its fifth year. Ukraine maintains that its strikes on Russian infrastructure aim to pressure the Kremlin into negotiating peace, while Russia continues its military operations in Ukraine.
Source: AFP /ASSOCIATED PRESS