Russian officials claim the Ukrainian strikes on the retailer’s warehouses resulted in civilian casualties, while Kyiv maintains the facilities were used to produce drones and navigation equipment.
Ukrainian drone strikes in western Russia have resulted in at least eight deaths and dozens of injuries, according to local authorities, as the two sides continue exchanging attacks.
Tambov Governor Evgeniy Pervyshov announced on Saturday that a strike in Kotovsk hit a Wildberries warehouse, the nation’s largest e‑commerce retailer.
In a Telegram post, Governor Pervyshov stated that seven night‑shift workers were killed when enemy drones hit the Wildberries logistics centre.
An additional 25 people were wounded, among them one in critical condition and six with serious injuries; the majority of the injuries resulted from shrapnel, he said.
The governor reported that 28 drones were intercepted. He added that had they reached their target, civilian casualties could have been far greater.
A separate drone attack in Elektrostal, a city in the western Moscow region, struck another Wildberries warehouse, killing at least one person and wounding 37 others, Governor Andrei Vorobyov said on Telegram. Several of the injured remain in serious condition.
Another drone strike ignited a fire at an oil depot in Noginsk, also within the Moscow region, wounding two people, he said.
Al Jazeera correspondent Dmitry Medvedenko reported from Moscow that Saturday’s death toll and injury count represented the highest since Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory three years ago.
In a social‑media statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two Wildberries warehouses constitute significant logistics facilities that supply sanctioned components for drone and navigation equipment production. He added that Ukraine’s medium‑range strikes also targeted locations in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
The attacks occur as Ukraine intensifies a campaign aimed at depriving Russia’s front line of energy and weapons, seeking to undermine Moscow’s ability to sustain its war effort, now in its fifth year.
In the meantime, a massive Russian assault on Odesa’s port infrastructure killed at least one person, wounded three, and damaged facilities, according to Governor Oleh Kipper.
Russia also targeted a vessel bearing the Antigua and Barbuda flag, he said.
This latest wave of attacks follows a week of political turmoil in Ukraine, during which President Zelenskyy abruptly dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov six months after assuming the role on Wednesday.
The 35‑year‑old official had driven the rapid expansion of Ukraine’s drone sector. He championed AI‑enabled drones capable of identifying targets without reliance on communications that Russia could jam, and increased the deployment of ground robots to deliver supplies, ammunition, and evacuate wounded soldiers.
His dismissal triggered protests in Kyiv and other cities on Thursday and Friday.
