Ukrainian drones strike Wildberries warehouses near St Petersburg and in Moscow region
On the night of August 4, Ukrainian drones attacked two Wildberries logistics sites in Russia, causing fires and prompting air alerts in the Leningrad and Moscow regions. Russian officials say 17 drones were shot down over the Leningrad region.
A new wave of drone attacks hit Russia overnight into Tuesday, this time targeting facilities associated with the online retailer Wildberries. An air alert was issued in the Leningrad region at around 4:06 a.m. and remained in place until 6:33 a.m. Residents reported hearing explosions in several places.
Later, officials confirmed that strategically important objects had been damaged. Leningrad region governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said a warehouse near the village of Krasny Bor in the Tosnensky district had been hit. That warehouse is a large Wildberries logistics center with a total area of 154,000 square meters. Drozdenko also stated that Russian air defense systems had intercepted 17 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the region.
In a separate incident, an explosion and fire were reported in the town of Chekhov in the Moscow region. Local residents heard multiple blasts, and videos posted online showed a massive column of black smoke rising into the sky. One resident was heard saying that “something is burning again.” It was not immediately clear whether the fire affected a Wildberries logistics complex, although that possibility has not been ruled out.
Chekhov has been targeted by drone strikes before. On the night of July 28, an attack caused a fire at a regeneration plant in the town. According to Ukrainian sources, Ukrainian defense forces have been conducting regular strikes on Wildberries warehouses since July 18.
