Seven people were killed and about 50 injured in a nighttime drone attack on Wildberries logistics centers in the Tambov and Moscow regions, according to infohub.kz.
In the early hours of Saturday, Ukrainian drones struck two major logistics hubs of the Russian online marketplace Wildberries—in the town of Kotovsk, Tambov region, and in Elektrostal, Moscow region. Local authorities said seven warehouse employees working the night shift were killed in the Tambov attack. Tambov Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov reported 25 injured: one person in extremely critical condition, six in serious condition, and 16 in moderate condition. Most suffered shrapnel wounds. A fire broke out at the facility but open flames have been extinguished.
Wildberries-Russ confirmed the strike on the Elektrostal warehouse but did not report any fatalities. Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said 24 marketplace employees were injured. Footage shot early in the morning showed signs of a massive fire engulfing the entire warehouse building and billowing thick gray smoke.
Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim commented on the attack: "A terrible night, terrible events for our company and for our country. This is pain that cannot be put into words. I offer my condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased." She pledged assistance to the families of the victims and support for the injured but did not specify whether sellers whose goods were destroyed or damaged would receive help.
In the Moscow region, drones also attacked an oil depot in Noginsk. Governor Vorobyov said a fire broke out and two people were injured. A nearby maternity hospital was evacuated, and patients were transferred to other medical facilities. In total, local authorities said nearly 50 Ukrainian drones struck the region.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 379 Ukrainian drones overnight over the country's territory and annexed Crimea. Ukraine's Air Force reported that on the night of July 18, Russian forces used 90 drones, two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, two Oniks anti-ship missiles, and three Kh-59/69 air-launched missiles against Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces struck logistics targets in the Tambov and Moscow regions as well as an oil facility. "Today we used our long-range sanctions in three directions on Russian territory, as well as on our temporarily occupied land and at sea. In particular, in response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure, our cities and towns, two large logistics facilities were hit—in the Moscow and Tambov regions, more than 500 and about 700 kilometers from the front line," Zelensky wrote. According to him, those facilities "were used by the aggressor to supply sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation equipment."
Russia's Investigative Committee has opened criminal cases on terrorism charges in connection with the attacks on the Wildberries warehouses, said committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko.