Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries logistics centres in Saint Petersburg and Crimea, as week-long attacks kill 9 and injure over 75

The Friday morning strikes

Ukrainian drones struck two Wildberries logistics centres on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg overnight, setting fire to warehouses in Shushary and Novosaratovka. Residents posted video of explosions and thick black smoke drifting across the city. Authorities in the city and Leningrad Oblast confirmed three people were injured. The company said it had temporarily suspended operations at both sites.

The attack also hit a Wildberries warehouse in Symferopol on Russian-occupied Crimea. The Russian defence ministry claimed it shot down 571 Ukrainian drones during the night, adding that strikes also targeted the city of Tver northwest of Moscow. The governor of Leningrad Oblast, Alexander Drozdenko, said 59 drones were destroyed over his region.

A week of attacks on Russia's largest online retailer

The Saint Petersburg raid is the latest in a sustained Ukrainian campaign against Wildberries, a firm often called "Russia's Amazon". On 18 July, drone strikes on warehouses in Kotovsk (Tambov Oblast) and Elektrostal (Moscow Oblast) killed eight people and injured more than 60. On the night of 22 July, follow-up attacks on centres in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk killed at least one person and wounded 15.

Last night our logistics centres in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk were attacked.

The cumulative damage since the start of July has affected approximately 552,000 square metres of warehouse space, roughly 10% of the firm's total logistics capacity. Analysts cited by money.pl estimate that 8% of surface area may be temporarily out of service, with rebuilding costs of 35.5 billion rubles (over $450 million).

Why Wildberries? Zelensky points to military role

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly acknowledged the strikes, telling reporters that the warehouses were used to supply the Russian military.

The warehouses were used to supply the Russian military with drone parts and other equipment.

Wildberries handles up to 20 million orders a day from over a million sellers, making it a critical logistics node. Its network suddenly becoming a target represents a widening of Ukraine's long-range drone campaign, which previously focused mainly on oil refineries and fuel depots.

Disruption at Pulkovo and symbolic dimension

Saint Petersburg, Vladimir Putin's hometown and Russia's second-largest city, has rarely been targeted because of heavy air defences and historical significance. The overnight raid forced officials to temporarily close Pulkovo International Airport. Around 50 flights were delayed and 15 diverted to alternate airfields. Czech Television reporter Darja Stomatová noted:

Ukrainians have carried out the fifth strike in a row on Wildberries warehouses. It is a campaign trying to destroy their assets, warehouses, and logistics centres.

Black smoke rising over the city, located 800 to 1,100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, shows the reach of Ukraine's drone fleet.

What the numbers show

Since Saturday, the attacks have killed nine people and wounded at least 78 across six Russian regions. The damage to Wildberries, a company that processes 20 percent of Russia's online sales, is measured in tens of billions of rubles. Ukraine has shown no sign of halting the raids, and the Russian defence ministry's claim of 571 interceptions indicates the scale of the operation.