Ukraine Drone Strike Destroys Russia's 'Amazon' Warehouse Again

Ukrainian long-range drones destroyed a major Wildberries warehouse in Russia for the second time in a month, local authorities said Wednesday. The attack on the online retailer’s depot in the Tambov region, southeast of Moscow, started a massive fire that completely destroyed the facility. Wildberries is Russia’s biggest online retailer, often compared to Amazon. Ukrainian forces previously hit the same depot on July 18, killing seven people. That attack marked the start of an aerial campaign that has repeatedly targeted the company’s facilities across Russia. Ukraine has developed advanced drone capabilities since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. Kyiv officials say Wildberries sells gear and technical components used by Russia’s military. The strikes also serve Ukraine’s war goals by unsettling Russians far from the front line and hurting the economy. Russia, meanwhile, has killed thousands of civilians with missile and drone attacks. Ukraine has been firing hundreds of drones at Russia almost nightly to overwhelm air defenses. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 426 Ukrainian drones overnight over 15 regions and annexed Crimea. Wildberries confirmed the attack and fire, saying the facility was evacuated. Tambov Gov. Yevgeny Pervyshov said two people were injured: a 19-year-old man with a concussion and a 49-year-old woman with a broken finger. In a separate incident, two people died in Russia’s Lipetsk region after a drone hit a house and set it ablaze, according to Governor Igor Artamonov. Ukraine has also targeted Russian oil facilities, the backbone of the country’s economy. Unconfirmed reports said an oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region was on fire Wednesday. Governor Gleb Nikitin confirmed an attack on an unspecified “industrial facility” but gave no details.