Ukrainian Drones Hit Wildberries Warehouse 1,200 Miles Inside Russia
Three drones struck the roof of a depot belonging to Russia's largest online retailer in Yekaterinburg, and 800 workers were evacuated with no injuries reported, officials said.
Ukrainian long-range drones set fire to a warehouse in the Ural Mountains belonging to Russia's biggest online retailer, more than 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) from the border between the two countries, local officials and the company said Friday.
The depot, operated by Wildberries, is in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city. The company said most merchandise was not damaged, unlike at some of the more than a dozen other Wildberries depots struck by Ukraine in recent weeks that burned down. Kyiv is trying to rattle the Russian public and the Kremlin with the attacks.
Regional governor Denis Pasler said three drones hit the warehouse's roof. Artyom Zhoga, the Kremlin's representative in the region, said 800 people were evacuated and nobody was hurt.
Ukraine has regularly struck targets in the distant Urals this year and has even hit an oil refinery in western Siberia, nearly 1,550 miles (2,500 kilometers) from the border. The campaign reflects how Kyiv has made drone innovation central to its response to an invasion launched more than four years ago by a far larger adversary. Ukrainian officials say those successes have drawn drone cooperation agreements with nine countries, with talks underway with 15 more.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pressing for faster technological development, particularly in air defenses to counter Russian ballistic missiles that are exploiting Ukraine's shortage of American-made Patriot interceptors and battering civilian areas. He said late Thursday that a joint European anti-ballistic program is already underway, with 10 countries involved.
"Ukraine is capable of producing its (anti-ballistic) missile and launcher, while our partners will provide the necessary components and critical elements — radars, sensors, and everything else required," Zelenskyy said on social media. He added that Ukraine is also working on its own ballistic missiles: "The tests have shown strong potential. We need to turn this into a real weapon."
On the ground, Ukrainian defenses in the east remain under strain as Russia seeks a breakthrough after months of minimal advances that Western analysts say have been costly in Russian casualties. Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk region's military administration, said more than 800 people, including 91 children, were evacuated over the previous 24 hours, with children being moved out of Kramatorsk, one of four cities in the heavily defended "Fortress Belt."
Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed 203 Ukrainian drones from late Thursday through early Friday. Ukraine's air force said Russia attacked with 147 long-range strike drones. In the northern Sumy region, a Russian drone struck a busy market Friday morning, wounding 10 people. Regional administration head Oleh Hryhorov said glide bombs and drones also hit residential buildings, transport and infrastructure in the regional capital, wounding two.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.