UKRAINIAN DRONES STRIKE WILDBERRIES WAREHOUSES IN RUSSIA

Eight people have been killed and 62 injured after Ukrainian drones attacked two warehouses operated by Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, according to Russian officials. Seven deaths and 25 injuries occurred at a facility in Tambov, approximately 475 kilometres south-east of Moscow. One death and 37 injuries were recorded at a second Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal within the Moscow region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated the strikes had targeted "major logistics facilities" used to "supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment". Video footage from one warehouse showed large plumes of black smoke and flames engulfing a vast logistics building, with workers fleeing into a car park. The attacks appear to have occurred at night, with footage showing staff attempting to evacuate as explosions continued. Wildberries operates as the Russian equivalent of Amazon and is a major component of Russian e-commerce infrastructure. Serhii Kuzan, chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre, told the BBC that the company's website had been used by Russian volunteers to purchase military equipment including walkie-talkies, body armour and drone components.

Zelensky characterised the operations as a response to "Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities". Russian attacks across Ukraine during the preceding night resulted in 14 deaths, according to Ukrainian officials. Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had also struck targets in the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea and Russian-annexed Crimea during the same period.