Russian e-commerce giant Ozon reports drone strike

Russian e-commerce giant Ozon said Wednesday that one of its warehouses came under drone attack, as Ukraine pressed ahead with its campaign targeting logistics sites.

Kyiv has hit a string of logistics sites around Russia, including Ozon and its competitor Wildberries, the country’s top online retailer that Ukraine alleges supplied components to the military.

Ozon is Russia’s second-largest online marketplace, with its pick-up points and delivery boxes ubiquitous across the country.

The company said a fire broke out at its warehouse in Adygeysk in southern Russia, prompting the evacuation of staff.

Nobody was injured in the attack, it said on Telegram.

Previous strikes damaged an Ozon centre in Samara in southern Russia, as well as logistics centres in Makhachkala, which is also in southern Russia, and next to an Ozon facility on the outskirts of St Petersburg.

The attacks on Russian warehouses – typically easier to reach than heavily defended military installations – have already delivered economic losses worth billions of dollars.

A flare-up in fighting between Ukraine and Russia has dampened hopes for a breakthrough at US-led negotiations set for next week, as the war grinds through its fifth year.