Russian officials said on Saturday (August 22) that Ukraine launched a new round of drone attacks against Russia overnight, resulting in at least 8 civilian casualties. The targets of this latest attack included a warehouse of Ozon, Russia’s second largest online retailer, and an industrial facility in the southwestern Samara region.
The governor of Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, stated on the social media platform Telegram that Novokuibyshevsk city was attacked, leading to the death of an elderly woman and damage to local industrial facilities. The Ukrainian military claimed responsibility for attacking an oil refinery in the city, which resulted in a fire.
Ozon, Russia’s second largest online retailer, announced in a statement on the Telegram platform that its logistics center in Chapayevsk town, Samara region, had suspended operations following the attack. The company reported injuries among its personnel due to the attack.
This marks Ukraine’s first attack against Ozon. In previous weeks, Ukrainian forces have targeted Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, accusing the company of handling military supplies for the Russian military. Ukraine considers these attacks as part of efforts to disrupt Russia’s economic infrastructure, which supports Moscow’s military operations.
Meanwhile, Russia has intensified aerial raids on Ukraine. On Friday (August 21) during the day, several drones launched attacks on a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, hometown of Ukrainian President Zelensky, resulting in at least 16 fatalities and over 130 injuries. The drones carried out two waves of attacks, with the second targeting emergency responders after a fire was ignited in the initial assault. Zelensky condemned the attacks as “acts of terrorism” and warned of a retaliatory response.
From Friday night to Saturday morning, aside from the warehouse attack on Ozon, Ukraine carried out a series of attacks in other regions of Russia.
Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of Krasnodar region in southern Russia, stated that the port city of Yeysk was also attacked, leading to 3 fatalities, including two children, and one adult injured. The attack also caused a fire at a facility in the city.
Officials from Belgorod region that borders Ukraine reported 2 fatalities and 13 injuries due to the attacks by Ukraine. Bryansk region, another bordering area, reported 4 injuries from the attacks.
In Luhansk, a region in eastern Ukraine nearly entirely controlled by Russia, appointed governor Leonid Pasechnik stated that two civilians were killed in the attacks, including a 16-year-old boy, with 9 others injured.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian forces had shot down a total of 457 Ukrainian drones overnight.
(Report referenced from Reuters)