Ukrainian drone strikes kill seven warehouse workers and injure dozens in Russia

Kotovsk, Russia. Ukrainian drone attacks killed seven night-shift workers at a Wildberries warehouse in Kotovsk and injured dozens in the Tambov and Moscow regions, Russian regional governors said on Saturday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv had targeted logistics facilities used by Russia to supply drone production components and navigation equipment, as well as an oil facility.

Warehouse strike in Tambov region

Tambov Governor Evgeniy Pervyshov said 25 people were injured when drones struck a warehouse owned by Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, in Kotovsk, about 475 kilometres southeast of Moscow.

Seven workers on the night shift died at the scene, Pervyshov said in a Telegram post. He added that 28 drones were shot down while approaching the area.

“If they had achieved their goal, the number of civilian casualties could have been much higher,” Pervyshov said.

Further injuries in Moscow region

Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said 24 people were injured after a drone attack on another Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal, east of Moscow.

Wildberries co-founder and chief executive Tatyana Kim described it as a “terrible night” for Russia and the company, and offered condolences to the families of those killed.

Oil depot fire

In Noginsk, also in the Moscow region, falling drone debris started a fire at an oil depot, Vorobyov said.

He did not specify the extent of damage at the facility. Two people were injured in Noginsk, and a nearby maternity hospital was evacuated, he said.