Ukrainian Drone Strike Sparks Fire at Ozon Warehouse in Saratov
Ukrainian drones hit a warehouse belonging to online retailer Ozon in Saratov overnight, causing a fire and evacuation, while separate strikes elsewhere in Russia left several people dead.
A warehouse operated by Ozon, Russia's second-largest online retailer, caught fire in the Volga city of Saratov after being struck by Ukrainian drones overnight into Friday. The company said the facility was evacuated and that it had suspended all orders and deliveries across the Saratov region as a result.
The strike marks the latest in a wave of more than two dozen attacks on warehouses belonging to Ozon and its main competitor Wildberries since mid-summer. Footage circulating on social media showed the Saratov facility engulfed in flames with heavy smoke rising above it. Ozon's stock dropped 5% on the Moscow Exchange following news of the attack.
Exiled outlet Astra reported a separate fire also broke out at a Rosneft-owned refinery in Saratov, a facility that has repeatedly come under attack since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Saratov region Governor Roman Busargin acknowledged damage to what he called "civilian infrastructure" in the city but said no one was hurt. NASA's FIRMS fire-tracking service detected two active fires on Saratov's southern and western outskirts, corresponding to the refinery and the Ozon warehouse respectively.
Casualties reported elsewhere
In the Tula region south of Moscow, Governor Dmitry Milyayev said a drone strike killed two people and injured three more. Near the Ukrainian border in the Belgorod region, a driver was killed and a passenger injured on Thursday evening when a drone hit their car. Acting Belgorod Governor Alexander Shuvayev said four civilians died and 16 were injured across the region in the past 24 hours.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 777 Ukrainian drones over Russian and Ukrainian territory between Thursday night and Friday morning.
