Ukraine drone attacks hits 'Russia's Amazon' warehouse

ST PETERSBURG

Cars drive along the road as smoke rises above residential buildings from a warehouse for Russian e-commerce giant near Saint Petersburg.

Ukrainian drones hit a warehouse for a Russian e-commerce giant near Saint Petersburg early July 24, triggering a fire that sent smoke pouring over the historic city, according to local officials and an AFP reporter.

Kiev has targeted Saint Petersburg as it steps up long-range drone strikes on Russian energy, military and logistics sites in recent weeks.

An AFP reporter saw grey smoke rising into the morning sky over high-rise buildings in the city, which is more than 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

The local governor reported that a warehouse for Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer often referred to as “Russia’s Amazon,” was on fire after the strike.

“Three people were wounded,” Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the surrounding Leningrad region said on social media.

It was the third overnight attack by Ukraine on Wildberries’ sites in the past week.

One of the company’s logistics hubs outside Moscow was hit last weekend, killing eight night-shift workers and burning the facility to the ground.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alleged after the first attack that the facilities were used to “supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment.”

Kiev calls its campaign “long-range sanctions,” saying the attacks are justified retribution for Russia’s nightly drone and missile barrages of its cities.

The campaign has triggered nationwide fuel shortages and, Kiev says, dented Russia’s financial war chest.

Saint Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport suspended flights during the attack, resuming operations around 6 a.m., with around 50 departures disrupted.

Wildberries said two of its warehouses in the city had temporarily halted operations, without giving more details.

Leningrad Governor Drozdenko said 59 Ukrainian drones had been shot down.