At least two people were killed after Ukrainian drone attacks struck areas along Russia’s Volga River overnight, including a warehouse operated by the country’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, regional officials said.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its forces intercepted and destroyed 635 Ukrainian drones during the overnight attacks.
Samara region Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said a Wildberries warehouse was among the targets hit in the strikes, with the site located around 800km from the nearest Ukrainian-controlled positions inside Ukraine.
He added that authorities were still assessing the full impact of the attack and determining whether there were additional casualties.
The strikes came as Ukrainian forces continue carrying out attacks deeper inside Russian territory, targeting economic and energy-related infrastructure in an effort to weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain its war effort.
Wildberries, often described as Russia’s equivalent of Amazon, has reportedly faced several attacks on its facilities since July 18 as Ukraine attempts to disrupt the operations of one of Russia’s major consumer platforms.
Meanwhile, a separate drone strike on a residential building in the neighbouring Saratov region killed two people in the city of Engels, Governor Roman Busargin said.
Busargin added that civilian infrastructure in both Engels and Saratov was damaged during the attacks. Saratov is home to a major oil refinery, while Engels houses a Russian military airbase and has previously been targeted in similar strikes.
Ukraine has yet to issue an official statement regarding the latest drone attacks.
