Ukrainian long-range drones struck a major warehouse belonging to Russia’s biggest online retailer for the second time in just over a month, starting a massive fire that destroyed it completely, local authorities said Wednesday.
Ukrainian forces previously hit the depot in the Tambov region southeast of Moscow, several hundred kilometers (miles) from the Ukrainian border, on July 18, killing seven people and heralding the start of an aerial campaign
that has delivered repeated blows to Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries. The company’s size and commercial importance have brought comparisons with Amazon.
Ukraine’s cutting-edge drone capabilities developed since Russia's February 2022 invasion have allowed it to hit dozens of Wildberries facilities across Russia in recent weeks. Kyiv officials say goods sold by the company include gear and technical components used by Russia’s military. The attacks have also served Ukraine’s war goals by unsettling Russians living far from the front line and hurting the Russian economy.
Russia, meanwhile, has blasted Ukraine with ballistic and cruise missiles, powerful glide bombs and jet-powered drones, killing thousands of civilians.
Ukraine has been firing hundreds of drones at Russia almost nightly, hoping to overwhelm air defenses. The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces overnight shot down 426 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions and illegally annexed Crimea.
Wildberries confirmed the overnight attack and fire at its depot in the Tambov region and said the facility was evacuated, but it didn’t elaborate on the extent of the damage.
Tambov Gov. Yevgeny Pervyshov said that the fire completely destroyed the logistical center and injured two people — a 19-year-old man who suffered a concussion, and a 49-year-old woman, who broke her finger.
Elsewhere, two people were killed and two others were wounded in Russia’s Lipetsk region south of Moscow after a drone fell on a house, setting it ablaze, the region’s Gov. Igor Artamonov said.
Ukraine has also targeted Russian oil facilities that are the backbone of the country’s economy. Russia is one of the world’s largest energy producers.
Unconfirmed reports said that an oil refinery in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region was on fire Wednesday. The region has repeatedly been targeted by Ukraine. Local Governor Gleb Nikitin confirmed the attack and said that an unspecified “industrial facility” sustained damage, but didn't provide any details about that facility.
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