Three injured as Ukrainian drones hit Russian e-commerce giant

Ukrainian drone strikes targeted logistics centers belonging to Russia's largest online retailer Wildberries in St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region on Friday. At least three people were injured and civilian infrastructure along a key highway was damaged, local authorities said.

Leningrad Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said on Telegram that a strike sparked a fire at a logistics center in Novosaratovka, injuring three people. A separate attack caused a warehouse collapse at the Severnaya Poultry Farm in Sinyavino, while Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim added that facilities in Shushary, Utkina Zavod and Simferopol were also targeted.

Officials report drone activity

St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov said on Telegram that the city came under drone attack Friday morning and that air defense systems were engaged. He said civilian infrastructure along the key Moskovskoye Highway was hit and that emergency services were responding to the damage.

Russia's Investigative Committee announced it has opened a criminal case on terrorism over what it described as a Ukrainian attack on civilian targets in the Leningrad region, without providing further details on specific charges. The announcement came as regional authorities continued to assess the extent of the damage across multiple locations.

Retailer suspends operations

Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said on Telegram that no one was injured because employees were evacuated quickly from the facilities. The company later stated on the same platform that operations at the two main facilities were temporarily suspended pending damage assessments.

Russia's Defense Ministry said air defense systems shot down 571 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, annexed Crimea, and over waters of the Black and Azov seas overnight. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the claims and independent verification remains difficult due to the ongoing war.