Eight people have been killed and 62 injured after Ukrainian drones struck two warehouses belonging to Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries, according to Russian officials. The Wildberries warehouse strikes hit facilities in two separate regions of Russia.
Seven deaths and 25 injuries occurred at a warehouse in the city of Tambov, roughly 295 miles (475km) southeast of Moscow. One death and 37 injuries occurred at another Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal, in the Moscow region.
Why Ukraine Says It Targeted the Warehouses
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks struck major logistics facilities that had been used to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment. He added that Ukraine had also struck targets in the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea, and Russian-annexed Crimea.
Unverified images from the scene of one of the warehouse strikes showed flames and large plumes of black smoke rising from a vast logistics building, with dozens of workers fleeing into a car park area.
Zelensky said Ukraine’s operations came in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, cities and communities. Overnight into Wednesday, 14 people were killed in Russian attacks across Ukraine.
Inside the Wildberries Warehouse Strikes
Wildberries is often described as the Russian equivalent of Amazon. The merged RWB group, which combines Wildberries with advertising company Russ, was valued at about $12.6 billion (£9.3 billion) by Forbes Russia in 2026. Wildberries CEO Tatyana Kim said it had been a terrible night for Russia and for the company.
Evgeniy Pervyshov, governor of the Tambov region, wrote on Telegram that seven people working the night shift died on the spot, adding that 28 drones were also shot down on approach. He said 25 people were injured, including seven in serious condition, most from shrapnel wounds. He described the incident as the largest and most inhumane attack on Tambov region in terms of the number of drones used and the number of casualties.
Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said eight of those injured in the strikes on the Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal were in serious condition. He added that a total of 48 drones were shot down in the Moscow region overnight, and that a Russian oil depot had also been struck by a falling drone, an incident he described as having the most serious consequences. He said firefighters, emergency services and the Ministry of Emergency Situations continued working at the scene, though he did not detail the level of damage. Zelensky separately confirmed Ukraine had struck an oil facility.
Part of a Wider Campaign Against Russian Energy Infrastructure
Ukraine has recently intensified its long-range drone attacks on Russia’s critical energy infrastructure, causing widespread fuel shortages. Earlier this month, Kyiv said nearly 43 percent of Russia’s oil refining capacity had been disabled as a result.
Ukraine maintains that Russian oil and gas facilities are legitimate targets, since Moscow relies heavily on fossil fuel exports to finance its full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare admission last month that fuel shortages had been caused by Ukrainian attacks, and signed a bill into law in early July aimed at boosting supplies to the domestic fuel market.
