In the early hours of August 22, Ukrainian drones attacked an Ozon logistics complex in the Samara region, causing a fire and temporarily halting operations. Four people were injured in the incident, according to Russian media and Reuters.
Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, governor of the Samara region, said the region came under a massive drone attack, and Russian air defense forces shot down and suppressed several dozen drones. Ozon said that more than 500 employees were evacuated from the complex within minutes.
“All systems worked as expected, and we evacuated over 500 workers in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, there are casualties,” the company said. Three of the injured sustained minor injuries, while one person suffered serious injuries after jumping from a second-floor window during the evacuation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also confirmed the attack. The warehouse's operations have been suspended, items stored at the facility have been removed from the website, and some orders will be canceled with refunds. Supplier deliveries to the site are temporarily not being accepted.
The Ozon logistics complex in Chapayevsk covers about 135,000 square meters, making it one of the largest marketplace facilities in the Volga region. Previously, a series of similar attacks targeted Wildberries warehouses: according to Reuters, since July 18, drones have attacked at least 24 of the company's logistics facilities in various Russian regions.
Kommersant estimated the value of real estate of five affected complexes at approximately 60 billion rubles. According to DW estimates, sellers' losses from destroyed and inaccessible goods could amount to 215–280 billion rubles, and the total damage to Wildberries and entrepreneurs could reach 800 billion rubles, although this figure has not been officially confirmed.
Following a series of attacks on August 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the government to prepare measures to restore damaged logistics facilities.
The day before, on August 21, Russia launched a massive drone strike on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine. According to the latest data, at least 16 people were killed, more than 130 were injured, including 22 children. 29 people remain in serious condition, and nine are still missing.
According to Ukrainian authorities, a second strike hit the shopping center about 30 minutes after the first. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident “an act of barbarism” and said Kyiv would respond to the attack.