Smoke rises from a fire at a burning warehouses of the Russian Internet store Wildberries in Utkina Zavod in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 24. In the night of July 24, On Monday, Ukraine targeted Russia’s second-largest online retailer Ozon with drone strikes, hitting four logistics facilities. File Photo by Stringer/EPA
Aug. 24 (UPI) — Ukraine targeted Russia’s second-largest online retailer, Ozon, with drone strikes on four of its warehouses on Monday.
Ozon says logistics facilities in Krasnodar, Dagestan, Stavropol and Adygea were set ablaze by the strikes with several people reported injured. Ukraine had previously targeted Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries with drone strikes, hitting 15 of its logistics hubs.
Ukrainian officials said Wildberries was considered a legitimate target because it supplies the Russian military. Russia denies this claim.
Ozon evacuated warehouses in Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk due to the threat of potential drone strikes.
Debris from the drones hit nearby apartment buildings as well as a private childcare facility in Krasnodar. Two children have been killed and seven more were injured.
Ukraine’s attacks on targets related to Russia’s economy have drawn a reaction from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said on Saturday that Ukraine opened “Pandora’s box.” He warned that Russia will target Ukraine’s “most sensitive economic sectors” in response.
Russia launched drone strikes on Ukrainian city Kryvyi Rih over the weekend. Kryvyi Rih is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown.
Ukraine and Russia have denied targeting civilians in their attacks.
With news of the strikes on Ozon, its shares fell by 20% in the Moscow Exchange early Monday.
