Ukrainian strikes on Russian warehouses kill eight

Ukrainian drones attacked e-commerce warehouses in Russia's Moscow and Tambov regions on Saturday, killing eight people and igniting massive fires that sent thick smoke billowing into the sky for hours. The strikes targeted two key warehouses of Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, resulting in the deaths of eight night-shift workers.

"A terrible night, terrible events for our company and for our country. It is a pain that cannot be put into words," said Wildberries CEO Tatiana Kim. In the Tambov region, governor Evgeny Pervyshov confirmed the deaths at the logistics center. In the Moscow region, where another Wildberries warehouse and an oil depot were hit, one person died in the hospital, according to regional governor Andrei Vorobyov.

Kyiv has been intensifying its strikes on Russian territory in recent months, calling them retribution for over four years of bombardments against its own territory. These actions, termed "long-range sanctions" by Kyiv, have primarily targeted Russia's oil infrastructure, contributing to a fuel crisis in the country. The campaign has begun to disrupt the lives of ordinary Russians more than at any point since the conflict began in 2022.

In addition to the warehouse casualties, an empty kindergarten was also hit in Elektrostal, Moscow region, though no injuries were reported there. Authorities stated that nearly 60 people were wounded in the attacks across the two regions and taken to hospitals. The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, reported that over 370 drones were launched toward the Moscow region overnight, with nearly 1,892 Ukrainian drones intercepted between July 11 and 18.

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A terrible night, terrible events for our company and for our country. It is a pain that cannot be put into words.