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Russian e-commerce giant Ozon said four of its logistics hubs in southern Russia were targeted by Ukrainian drones on Monday, as Kyiv expanded a campaign aimed at disrupting Moscow’s commercial supply networks.
Drone debris also struck apartment buildings and set warehouses on fire.
A fire broke out at an Ozon centre in Makhachkala, the capital of Russia’s Dagestan region, after a drone attack at around 05:00 local time, the company said.
Several people were wounded but their lives were not in danger, according to Ozon, which said the facility had suspended operations.
A large fire was also reported at an Ozon logistics centre in Enem, in the Krasnodar region, although staff were evacuated and no casualties were reported.
Warehouses in Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk were also evacuated because of the threat of drone attacks but escaped damage.
Two children were killed and nine people injured, including seven children, when drone debris hit a private childcare centre in Krasnodar during the overnight attacks, regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said.
The latest incidents bring the total to six Ozon facilities targeted since Saturday, when Ukraine announced it was turning its attention to Russia’s second-largest online marketplace after weeks of strikes against rival Wildberries.
“After Ukrainian units hit the 15 largest logistics hubs of Wildberries, it is now Ozon’s turn,” Ukraine’s defence ministry said.
Kyiv says warehouses operated by the retailers store dual-use goods and form part of supply networks supporting Russia’s military.
Ozon facilities in the Samara and Orenburg regions were targeted over the weekend (see cover image), forcing hundreds of employees to evacuate and disrupting operations.
The latest attacks also hit investors, with Ozon shares falling as much as 12% on the Moscow Exchange on Monday.
Russia has condemned Ukraine’s attacks on what it describes as civilian infrastructure.
The strikes come two days after Russia launched a major daytime drone attack on the city of Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Additional sources • AFP