Russia’s second-biggest online retailer targeted in Ukrainian strikes

← Back to the feed

Russia’s second-biggest online retailer targeted in Ukrainian strikes

BBC World · 1 hour ago

Warehouses belonging to Ozon, Russia's second-largest online retailer, were hit by a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes overnight, causing fires at logistics centres in Krasnodar, Dagestan, Stavropol and Adygea and injuring several people. Ukraine has for weeks been striking sites belonging to Wildberries, Russia's biggest online retailer, and has now extended the campaign to Ozon, arguing both firms are legitimate targets because they supply the military with components, a claim Moscow denies. President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine had opened "Pandora's box" by hitting economic targets and vowed retaliation against Kyiv's "most sensitive economic sectors".

Russia's defence ministry said three children, aged 13, 15 and 16, were killed in the Krasnodar strike, with six more taken to hospital, while workers were evacuated from Ozon sites in Adygea and Stavropol. Shares in Ozon fell as much as 12% on the Moscow Exchange, with its major shareholder AFK Sistema down almost 13%; the Kremlin said it was discussing possible state support. Ozon and Wildberries are used by an estimated 85-90% of Russia's economically active population, acting as vital marketplaces particularly in remote areas, meaning the strikes bring the war's economic impact closer to ordinary Russians. Ukraine's Odesa region also reported overnight strikes on food storage and energy infrastructure, injuring five people.

  • Ukrainian drones hit Ozon warehouses across four Russian regions, sparking fires
  • Three children killed in Krasnodar strike; Ozon shares fell up to 12%
  • Putin vows retaliation after Ukraine expands strikes on Russian retail logistics

Europe World

Read the full article at the source →