Early Friday morning, Ukrainian drones targeted a warehouse near Saint Petersburg, resulting in a fire that sent plumes of smoke over the city. Local officials and eyewitnesses reported the incident, with an AFP reporter observing grey smoke rising into the sky over high-rise buildings. Governor Alexander Beglov confirmed the attack on social media, stating that military-purpose unmanned aerial vehicles struck civilian infrastructure facilities. Efforts to address the consequences are currently under way.
The targeted warehouses are reportedly owned by Russian online retail giant Wildberries. The company announced that two of its warehouses in the city had temporarily halted operations but did not provide further details. This attack is part of a series of strikes by Kyiv on Russian energy, military, and logistics sites in recent weeks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asserted that Wildberries stores and ships components for sanctioned military equipment. Kyiv refers to its campaign as "long-range sanctions," claiming the attacks are justified retribution for Russia's nightly drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. These strikes have reportedly triggered nationwide fuel shortages in Russia and impacted its financial war chest.