Ukrainian drones struck warehouses belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries for the third time in six days on Friday, with one attack occurring near Saint Petersburg and causing a fire that sent smoke over the city.
Kyiv has accused Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer and often referred to as the Russian equivalent of Amazon, of storing drone parts and assisting the Russian army. This accusation comes as Ukraine escalates long-range drone strikes targeting Russian energy, military, and logistics sites. Ukraine views these attacks as justified retribution for Moscow's continuous drone and missile barrages on Ukrainian cities.
The attacks on Wildberries facilities follow a pattern of Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure. Last weekend, eight night-shift workers were killed in attacks on Wildberries sites, with one of the company's main warehouses outside Moscow burning down. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alleged after the first attack that the facilities were used to "supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment."
Wildberries CEO Tatyana Kim reported on social media that rapid evacuations were carried out at the affected warehouses, and preliminary data indicated no casualties. However, Alexander Drozdenko, the governor of the surrounding Leningrad region, stated that three people were wounded in the attack near Saint Petersburg, which involved at least 59 drones. In addition to the Saint Petersburg site, Wildberries confirmed that logistics facilities in Simferopol, in Moscow-annexed Crimea, were also hit.
The strikes have impacted hundreds of small businesses whose inventories were destroyed, leading to angry reactions on social media. Kyiv frames its strikes as "long-range sanctions," asserting they are a necessary response to Russia's ongoing offensive and nightly attacks on Ukrainian cities. These attacks have reportedly contributed to nationwide fuel shortages and, according to Kyiv, have depleted Russia's financial resources for the war.
Saint Petersburg's Pulkovo airport temporarily suspended flights during the attack, with approximately 50 departures disrupted before operations resumed. Firefighters and investigators were deployed to the affected sites.
The conflict has seen both Russia and Ukraine escalate their long-range strike capabilities in recent months. Moscow's forces have increased ballistic missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to residential buildings. The United Nations has reported a significant rise in civilian deaths in 2026, noting June as the deadliest month since mid-2022. An estimated hundreds of thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians have been killed since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, though precise casualty figures remain unconfirmed by either side.