A logistics hub operated by Russia’s largest online retailer is out of action after being targeted in a Ukrainian drone strike.
At least one person was injured after the facility, run by Wildberries—considered the Russian equivalent of Amazon—was targeted overnight in Tula, regional governor Dmitry Milyayev said on Telegram.
Ukraine has hit nearly two dozen Wildberries warehouses and logistics centers with drone strikes since last month as it aims to hinder Russia’s economy and bring President Vladimir Putin’s invasion home to the Russian people. The latest strike was the first to hit a Wildberries facility in the Tula region, with other warehouses targeted in areas including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chekhov, and Tambov.
The Tula warehouse is one of the biggest Wildberries operates in Russia, The Kyiv Post reported. The attack means that eight of the online retailer’s 15 biggest logistics centers are now out of action amid Ukraine’s drone bombardment of Russia.
In a statement, Wildberries said all employees were evacuated from the facility before the attack and that shipments would be redirected to other locations.
As well as hoping to cripple Russia’s economy, Ukraine also accuses Wildberries of using its warehouses to supply munitions to Moscow amid the conflict, which has entered its fifth year.
Ukraine has spent several weeks bombarding Russia with drone strikes as part of a tactical shift in its effort to fight off Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian drone strikes previously focused on Russia’s oil refineries, which play a key role in funding Moscow’s war effort.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has referred to the country’s drone campaign as “long-range sanctions” against Russia.
Wildberries founder and CEO Tatyana Kim has described the attacks, which have been carried out since July 18, as “acts of terrorism.”
Elsewhere, at least 17 people have been killed and around 45 injured after Russia targeted the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv with ballistic missile strikes.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the strikes hit logistics hubs involved in the storage and delivery of weapons and military supplies, as well as drone production facilities.
Zelensky denied those claims, saying the main targets of the attack were warehouse facilities belonging to civilian businesses, as well as the city’s infrastructure and a railway station.
“These facilities had nothing to do with the war—a brewing company, construction materials warehouses, and civilian logistics facilities,” Zelensky posted on X.
Both Russia and Ukraine have denied deliberately targeting civilians in their attacks.
