Ukrainian drone strike hits St. Petersburg, sets warehouse ablaze and halts Wildberries logistics

Attack on St. Petersburg

Ukrainian forces launched a drone raid on the St. Petersburg area during the night of 23–24 July, triggering a large fire at a warehouse. Russian media, citing St. Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov, reported the strike. Leningrad region governor Alexander Drozdenko said on Telegram that air defences shot down nearly 60 Ukrainian drones, indicating the size of the assault. St. Petersburg, the hometown of President Vladimir Putin, lies about 1,100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border and is normally shielded by dense air defence systems. The attack marks a rare penetration of that shield, following a pattern of increasingly effective Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russian territory in recent months, including on Moscow.

Wildberries logistics hit

Two warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, suspended operations after the attack. The company confirmed the shutdowns without specifying the cause. Wildberries facilities have been targeted repeatedly in recent weeks. Kyiv maintains that the logistics centres are involved in supplying drone components, navigation equipment, and other military gear to Russian forces. The company's website lists various military items for sale, including drone parts and bulletproof vests. The strikes on Wildberries follow months of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil depots and refineries, part of an effort to disrupt Moscow's supply chains and increase economic pressure on businesses and the state budget. The suspension of two warehouses, even temporarily, disrupts deliveries to millions of customers across northwestern Russia.

Broader campaign against supply chains

The repeated targeting of Wildberries is part of a shift in Ukraine's deep-strike strategy. By hitting a critical e-commerce logistics hub, Kyiv aims to degrade the Russian military's access to commercially sourced equipment. The company, often compared to Amazon, is a key node in Russia's domestic distribution network. Its warehouses in St. Petersburg are among the largest in the country. The attack on such a high-profile target in Putin's hometown carries symbolic weight, demonstrating that even well-defended cities are no longer safe from Ukrainian drones. The economic cost of repeated disruptions to a major retailer adds to the strain on Russia's wartime economy.

Casualties elsewhere

Overnight strikes also caused casualties in other regions. In the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, a drone hit a vehicle in the Shebekinsky district, killing one man and wounding another, local authorities said. In Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, one man was killed and four others wounded, including two children, according to Moscow-appointed governor Sergei Aksyonov. In total, two people died and five were injured in the overnight attacks across Russia and occupied Crimea.