Ukrainian Drones Hit Warehouses and Factories Near Moscow and St. Petersburg

Overnight drone attacks reportedly launched by Ukraine on Aug. 4 hit Wildberries warehouses near Moscow and St. Petersburg and sparked a fire at the Syzran Oil Refinery, The Kyiv Independent reported.

Photos and videos posted by local residents appeared to show thick black smoke rising from a Wildberries logistics hub in Chekhov, Moscow Oblast, about 65 kilometers south of the Kremlin. Ukrainian drones were seen over Chekhov before the strike.

Smoke was later reported at a Wildberries warehouse in Krasny Bor, Leningrad Oblast, about 33 kilometers southeast of St. Petersburg. Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed on Telegram that drones struck an unspecified warehouse in Krasny Bor, according to The Kyiv Independent.

A large fire also reportedly broke out at the Syzran Oil Refinery in Samara Oblast after a Ukrainian strike. It was not immediately clear what weaponry was used, and The Kyiv Independent said it could not immediately verify the reports. Ukraine had not commented, and the full extent of damage was unclear.

Wildberries has sustained several Ukrainian attacks on its facilities in recent weeks. Russian Forbes, citing Data Insight analyst Sergei Semko, reported that potential losses for sellers on the marketplace after recent attacks could reach 215–280 billion rubles, or $2.7–$3.5 billion.

Wildberries lists military equipment on its website, including drone components and body armor, and that its banking arm was sanctioned by the EU in July over its financial contribution to Russia's state budget. Poland described Wildberries as "the largest taxpayer in the Russian Federation" when it imposed sanctions on the company in 2022.