Russia’s second-largest online retailer, Ozon, has reported fires and injuries at several of its logistics facilities following a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes across the country’s south.
The company said facilities in Krasnodar, Dagestan, Stavropol and Adygea were affected by the overnight attacks. Workers were evacuated from some of the sites as emergency crews responded to fires.
The strikes come amid an expanding Ukrainian campaign against Russian infrastructure and businesses that Kyiv considers connected to Moscow’s war effort. Ukraine has also repeatedly targeted facilities belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, in recent weeks. Kyiv has described the company as a legitimate target because of alleged links to the supply of military components. A claim rejected by Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Ukraine had “opened Pandora’s box” by attacking economic targets and warned that Russia would retaliate against Kyiv’s “most sensitive economic sectors”.
Both countries have accused each other of attacks on civilian and economic infrastructure while denying that civilians are deliberately targeted.
Children Killed in Krasnodar
Ozon said a major fire broke out at one of its logistics centres in Krasnodar following the drone strikes. Russia’s Defence Ministry said three children were killed in the attack. Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, said the victims were aged 13, 15 and 16.
Six other children were reportedly taken to hospital. Another Ozon logistics facility in Makhachkala, Dagestan, was also hit. The company said a fire broke out there at around 05:00 local time on Monday.
Ozon workers were evacuated from facilities in Adygeysk, in the Adygea region, and Nevinnomyssk, in Stavropol, following the attacks.
The attacks also had an immediate impact on the company’s share price. Ozon shares fell by as much as 12% on the Moscow Exchange on Monday morning. AFK Sistema, the private equity firm and major shareholder in Ozon, saw its shares fall by almost 13%.
The strikes represent another escalation in Ukraine’s use of long-range drones against Russian targets. Especially as the war increasingly reaches commercial and economic facilities far from the front lines.