Ukraine hits major Russian shopping hubs in huge drone attack as Andy Burnham makes first trip to Kyiv
Ukraine launched a wave of drone strikes on Russia's Independence Day, hitting three major logistics hubs belonging to Ozon, Russia's second-largest online retailer, while also attempting to strike a military cosmodrome. The attacks coincided with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first foreign trip since taking office, a visit to Kyiv where he pledged continued UK support and shared details of long-range missile technology, underlining the deepening rift between London and Moscow.
Fires broke out at Ozon facilities in Makhachkala, Krasnodar and elsewhere in southern Russia, with the company reporting several people wounded but no threat to life, while warehouses in Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk were evacuated as a precaution. The strikes follow weeks of Ukrainian attacks on rival retailer Wildberries and are said to have caused billions of dollars in economic damage by targeting lightly defended civilian-linked infrastructure. Separately, NATO scrambled Romanian F-16s after a suspected Russian drone crossed into its airspace, and Russia recalled its ambassador from London, describing UK relations as being at "an unprecedentedly low level" amid warnings over British-linked drone strikes.
- Ukraine drone strikes hit Ozon warehouses across southern Russia
- Andy Burnham visits Kyiv, pledges UK support and missile tech
- Russia recalls UK ambassador amid rising diplomatic tensions
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Ozon is Russia's second-largest online retailer, similar to Amazon, with warehouses and logistics hubs across the country. Ukraine has been striking such civilian-linked infrastructure for weeks, having previously targeted rival retailer Wildberries, as part of a wider campaign of long-range drone attacks intended to disrupt Russia's economy alongside its military and energy targets.
Andy Burnham became UK prime minister recently, and his trip to Kyiv marks his first foreign visit in the role, a signal of how the government intends to position itself on the war. Britain has been one of Ukraine's most consistent backers since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, providing weapons, funding and diplomatic support, and other Western leaders have made similar visits to demonstrate solidarity.
Relations between the UK and Russia have been deteriorating for years, particularly since 2022, and are now further strained by Britain's role in supplying and supporting Ukraine's military capabilities. Russia's recall of its ambassador from London reflects that tension. The wider conflict also continues to spill beyond Ukraine's borders, with NATO states occasionally reporting stray or suspected Russian drones entering their airspace, raising concerns about the war's potential to affect neighbouring countries.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters argue that Ukraine has every right to strike infrastructure that helps fund and sustain Russia's war machine, including commercial logistics networks that keep the Russian economy and, by extension, its military effort running, especially given years of Russian strikes on Ukrainian homes, energy grids and civilians. They see continued and deepening British support, including sharing advanced missile technology, as a principled and necessary stand for Ukrainian sovereignty and international law, sending a clear signal that aggression carries a real and rising cost.
The case against
Critics caution that hitting retail logistics hubs and other civilian-linked commercial sites, even if loosely tied to the war economy, risks blurring the line between legitimate military targets and ordinary economic life, harming workers and civilians who bear little responsibility for state decisions. They also worry that closer British involvement, particularly the transfer of long-range missile technology, edges NATO states further towards direct confrontation with Russia, raising the risk of miscalculation or escalation, as underscored by incidents like the drone incursion into Romanian airspace, and may narrow rather than widen the path to a negotiated end to the war.