A warehouse for Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries in the country's Ryazan region was evacuated on Wednesday after a Ukrainian drone attack, while six people were hospitalised, regional authorities and the company said.
“The company’s logistics facility in Ryazan was evacuated in accordance with safety requirements,” Wildberries and Russ (RVB), the merged company operating Wildberry, said in a statement.
In a separate statement, Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said six people were hospitalised following the attack but none suffered life-threatening injuries.
“At the moment, six people have been hospitalised. There is no threat to their lives, and doctors are providing the necessary medical assistance,” Malkov said on the Max messaging platform.
He later said the air raid alert had been lifted, and air defence operations concluded.
Ukraine did not immediately comment on the attack.
The strike is the latest in a series of drone attacks targeting Wildberries logistics centres in Russia in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, warehouses in the Tambov, Moscow, Krasnodar and Stavropol regions were hit, resulting in casualties and disrupting operations.
Crucial for Russian businesses
Wildberries has taken on a critical socio-economic role since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022.
The Russian giant earlier said that its nationwide warehouse network is capable of handling over 20 million orders a day.
Millions of small and medium-sized Russian businesses rely entirely on Wildberries to list, store, and ship their inventory.
The initial drone strikes on the Moscow and Tambov hubs instantly wiped out as much as $2-3 billion worth of seller goods, according to research agency Data Insight.
Wildberries updated its seller terms on July 7 to include force majeure exemptions for drone strikes and military action.
Thousands of small business owners whose inventory was incinerated face catastrophic financial losses without a guaranteed right to full compensation.
