A large-scale night attack with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) carried out by the Ukrainian armed forces has dealt heavy blows to civilian and logistical infrastructure in several Russian regions.
The most tragic incident was recorded in the city of Kotovsk, Tambov region, where a large distribution center of the popular Wildberries marketplace was hit, BTA reported.
The Minister of Health of the Tambov region, Marina Makedonskaya, officially confirmed the identity and number of those killed in the logistics hub, life.ru reports. The victims were seven night shift employees - four men and three women. According to Governor Yevgeny Pervishov, the devices were loaded with additional striking elements (metal balls) aimed at the maximum number of victims. Another 25 people were injured at the site, some of whom are in intensive care in serious condition.
Scale of damage in other Russian regions
The attack on the night of July 18 is among the most extensive and has affected multiple destinations, according to data from the Russian Ministry of Defense for intercepting 379 drones, cited by forbes.ru.
- Moscow Region (Electrostal and Noginsk): Another huge Wildberries logistics complex was attacked in the city of Elektrostal. A large fire broke out there, the smoke of which was visible from a distance of 50 km. 37 people were injured, one of whom later died in hospital. In the nearby city of Noginsk, a drone blew up an oil depot. Due to an imminent threat, the local maternity hospital No. 6 with 22 women in labor and 7 newborns was urgently evacuated.
- Vladimir Region: Governor Alexander Avdeev reported a direct hit by a drone in a multi-storey residential building in the city of Vladimir, which required an emergency evacuation of residents, but there were no injuries.
- Voronezh region: Falling debris from a downed drone completely destroyed a private house, the head of the region, Alexander Gusev, informed.
Official military statements and positions
The Russian Ministry of Defense described Kiev's actions as an "attempt to commit a terrorist act against civilian objects on the territory of the Russian Federation". The investigation in Russia has already opened criminal cases for terrorism.
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the attacks, describing them as "retaliatory long-range sanctions" for Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure. Ukrainian intelligence officials claim that the logistics hubs are a legitimate target, as they were used for covert military procurement, storage of dual-use technologies, and sanctioned electronic components for the Russian military.
Economic consequences for the marketplace and merchants
The head of the merged company Wildberries & Russ, Tatyana Kim, expressed condolences and announced that the company would pay serious compensation - 2 million rubles each to the families of the deceased and 1 million rubles each to the seriously injured.
However, the strikes are dealing a heavy economic blow to thousands of independent merchants on the platform:
- Унищожена стока: Всички артикули в засегнатите обекти в Котовск и Електростал са напълно изтеглени от продажба. Платформата обеща компенсации за загубения инвентар, но преизчисляването ще отнеме седмици.
- Огромни финансови загуби: Предварителните икономически анализи сочат, че преките и косвените щети за бизнеса, логистичните вериги и застрахователите ще надхвърлят 50 милиарда рубли.
- Колапс в логистиката: Потребителите в Централна Русия вече се сблъскват с масови закъснения на поръчките и затваряне на пунктове за получаване поради пренасочването на потоците към други складове.