Ukrainian drones have struck warehouses belonging to Russia's biggest online retailer for the second time in four days, injuring 15 people and forcing workers to evacuate, according to the company's founder and regional governors.
The overnight attacks hit logistics hubs run by Wildberries in two south-west cities: Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk in the Stavropol region. Workers were evacuated from both sites, said Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim. In a Telegram post, she wrote: "There are no words to describe all the feelings and emotions caused by the attacks on ordinary people, on our employees, on us, who are simply doing our jobs. But these situations demonstrate the most important thing: we must continue to do what we do for the benefit of people."
“Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries logistics hubs for second time in days, injuring 15 and sparking massive fires.”
The strikes come just days after similar attacks on Wildberries' facilities in Tambov and Elektrostal over the weekend killed eight people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that the targeted logistics hubs in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions were "involved in providing the Russian army with drone components, navigation equipment and other gear".
In Nevinnomyssk, five people were hurt in a warehouse complex, according to Governor Vladimir Vladimirov, with all receiving outpatient treatment. In Krasnodar, ten people were injured, three of them in a serious condition, the region's governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported. BBC Verify analysed footage and confirmed fires at both locations.
The attacks began just after midnight, with Russian state news agency TASS reporting that air defences had been activated in Nevinnomyssk. Dramatic footage filmed by locals showed large fires engulfing buildings and huge columns of smoke rising into the air. Krasnodar's governor described it as a "massive attack last night".
Drone debris also hit the grounds of a company in Armavir, killing one employee, and struck an oil depot, causing a fire. Drone fragments hit two apartment buildings in Krasnodar and two homes in the village of Dinskaya, though no injuries were reported there.
Zelensky added that Ukraine had struck an oil depot, as well as a tanker and four cargo ships belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet" in the waters of the Sea of Azov and Black Sea. Russia has been operating this shadow fleet to evade international sanctions imposed on its oil exports since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The overnight strikes mark the second targeting of Wildberries' facilities in less than a week, signalling a continued Ukrainian campaign to disrupt Russian logistics and military supply chains.
