Get you up to speed: ‘Russia’s Amazon’ warehouses obliterated in large-scale drone blitz | News World
A large-scale drone strike by Ukraine targeted the warehouses of Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, resulting in the death of one staff member and injuries to at least ten others. The attack occurred in Krasnodar, with additional strikes reported in Nevinnomyssk and Armavir, where local authorities confirmed further casualties from drone debris.
The strikes on Wildberries warehouses in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk occurred on Tuesday night, continuing a series of attacks on the retailer, which began with a separate strike on Saturday that resulted in the deaths of eight workers. The regional governor of Krasnodar reported that debris from the drone attacks damaged two high-rise apartment buildings, underscoring the broader impact of the strikes beyond just the targeted facilities.
Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak warned that the attack on Wildberries, which generates 8.5% of the nation’s GDP through digital sales, could significantly disrupt the economy. Tatyana Kim, head of Wildberries, expressed deep emotional distress over the impact on their employees and operations, stating, “There are no words to describe all the feelings and emotions caused by the attacks.”
What remains unclear — The scale of damage and total losses for Wildberries following the drone strikes has not been detailed.
Ukraine launches extensive drone strike on Wildberries warehouses in Russia
Russia was dealt another blow after the warehouses of its largest online retailer were hit in a large-scale drone strike by Ukraine.
One staff member was killed and several people were injured in a multi-pronged attack on Wildberries, dubbed the country’s answer to Amazon, on Tuesday night.
Footage shared on social media shows a cloud of smoke billowing over Krasnodar.
The city’s regional governor, Veniamin Kondratiev, said 10 people had been hurt after a storage complex was hit, while drone debris also hit and damaged two high-rise apartment buildings.
The company’s head, Tatyana Kim, said on Wednesday that warehouses in Nevinnomyssk were also hit. A worker was also killed in Armavir after drone debris fell on a building, local authorities said.
One of the Wildberries warehouses hit in the drone strike (Picture: Social media via Reuters)
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One person was killed and at least 10 were injured in the strikes (Picture: Social media via Reuters)
In a post to the social media platform Telegram, Kim said: ‘There are no words to describe all the feelings and emotions caused by the attacks on ordinary people, on our employees, on all of us who are simply doing our jobs.’
Wildberries has not officially commented on the attacks.
In a separate strike on Saturday, eight Wildberries workers were killed.
The online shop started as a clothing retailer but has since expanded its product range, eventually becoming a marketplace available to third-party vendors.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the sale of goods and services on digital platforms equated to roughly 8.5% of the country’s GDP.
The strike could prove a major problem for Putin (Picture: via Reuters)
So the strikes on this, one of Russia’s biggest online retailers, present a major threat to Russia’s economy.
Blackouts were also reported across occupied Crimea after Ukrainian drones hit two electric substations in Masandra and Yalta.
The upper rungs of Ukraine’s military are facing issues of their own after Volodymyr Zelensky sacked the head of his armed forces.
Demonstrations have broken out across the country after defence minister Mykhailo Federov, known for modernising the army, was fired from his post last week.
In a post on social media shared on Wednesday, the Ukrainian president said: ‘Together with [new commander-in-chief] Mykhailo Drapatyi and [interim defence minister] Yevhenii Khmara, we determined that Major General Ihor Skybiuk will become the new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
‘He is a highly experienced officer who defended Ukraine shoulder to shoulder with the new Commander-in-Chief. It is important that all components of our Armed Forces continue to function in complete coordination.’
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