Russia: Drone crash kills two, e-commerce giant Wildberries warehouse on fire

A Russian e-commerce warehouse erupted in flames and two people were killed following Ukrainian drone attacks, Russian authorities announced Wednesday. The Wildberries logistics center in Kotovsk, Tambov region, caught fire overnight after being targeted by Ukrainian drones. Regional governor Evguéni Pervychov stated on Telegram that the fire covered an area exceeding 100,000 square meters, and one employee suffered a concussion.

Videos circulating on social media depicted the scale of the blaze, with flames and smoke plumes visible against the sky. Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, is frequently targeted by Kyiv, which alleges the company supplies components to the Russian military. Ukraine has also begun targeting Wildberries' competitor, Ozon.

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Following Ukrainian drone strikes, a fire broke out in the Wildberries logistics center in Kotovsk, Tambov region.

Logistics centers and warehouses of these companies, often compared to Amazon for their dominance in Russia's online market, are less defended than military targets. Ukrainian drone attacks have already inflicted billions of dollars in damages, with several centers being completely destroyed by fires.

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The area of the fire exceeds 100,000 m2.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that air defense systems intercepted and destroyed a total of 426 Ukrainian drones over Russia during the night. In the neighboring Lipetsk region, a drone crashed and caused a fire in a house, resulting in the deaths of two people: a man and a 14-year-old child, according to Governor Igor Artamov.

These strikes mark an escalation in attacks from both sides of the front lines. Four and a half years into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, civilian casualties are increasingly mounting due to these intensified strikes.

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Unfortunately, two people died: a man and a 14-year-old child.