Tambov Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said the Wildberries logistics center in the city of Kotovsk, about 500 kilometers southeast of Moscow, was "completely burned down" in a major fire caused by drone attacks overnight. He said about 100,000 square meters (equivalent to 14 football fields) of the facility were engulfed in flames, and confirmed one person was injured. On Telegram, Pervyshov did not say if the fire had been extinguished.
In addition to the attack on the Wildberries center, another industrial facility in the Nizhny Novgorod region was damaged by drone strikes. In the Lipetsk region, two people—a man and a 14-year-old youth—died in a fire caused by a downed drone. In the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, a woman also died in a drone attack, according to local authorities cited by Reuters.
These are the latest in a series of Ukrainian operations targeting Wildberries facilities since mid-July, and recently also those of its main rival, Ozon. The two companies dominate one of the fastest-growing segments of Russia's economy, which has been nearly stalled after more than two and a half years of conflict.
Ukraine accuses Wildberries of playing a role in Russia's military supply chain, while Moscow officials and the company insist their facilities serve only civilian purposes.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 426 Ukrainian drones overnight, including in areas of Ukraine under Russian control.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly denied targeting civilians since Russia launched its full-scale military operation in February 2022. However, attacks on both sides have intensified in recent months, leading to increasing civilian casualties.
