All articles tagged with #drone attacks
Ukrainian drone strikes hit two oil refineries in southern Russia (Krasnodar's Afipsky and Rostov's Novoshakhtinsky), killing at least two people and forcing at least one refinery to suspend processing, highlighting ongoing disruption to Moscow’s fuel infrastructure amid broader attacks on energy facilities.
Government forces say they conducted 81 attacks on Houthi positions in the last 24 hours, while the Houthis claim drone strikes hit Najran, Saudi Arabia (an airport and an Aramco facility). With fighting intensifying and Iran-backed Houthis warning Saudi containment may fail, Yemen risks slipping back into full-scale war. The UN warns of severe food insecurity for millions, and a tanker was boarded off Yemen’s coast, highlighting rising maritime security risks.
Vladimir Putin ordered the government to help rebuild Wildberries’ warehouses damaged by Ukrainian drone strikes, with seven of its ten largest facilities destroyed. He said logistics capacity would be rebuilt with state support and suggested tax breaks and subsidized loans, while noting no critical consequences for the economy. The attack underscores Wildberries’ fragility as Ukraine justifies strikes over dual‑use drone components and the company faces heavy losses and debt, amid broader sanctions and GDP pressures.
Russia mounted a large, drone- and missile-driven assault on Kyiv and nearby areas, killing at least 13 and damaging a hospital, a school, homes, and warehouses, as Ukraine warns Moscow is exploiting Kyiv’s depleted Patriot air-defense stocks. Zelensky had warned that Ukraine now has far fewer interceptors than before, while Russia combines missiles, cruise missiles, and drones to inflict damage on civilian infrastructure; cross-border drone activity (including into Romania) and heightened measures by Poland were also reported amid ongoing fighting.
Putin ordered the Russian government to launch a program to rebuild commercial warehouses damaged or destroyed in Ukrainian drone strikes, including facilities tied to Wildberries, and urged that restoration be carried out at a higher technological level. He noted Russia’s economy is growing modestly despite sanctions and Ukrainian attacks, while Kyiv accuses Wildberries of supplying drone parts to the military—a claim the company denies.
A fresh wave of fighting leaves civilians dead or injured on both sides as Ukrainian strikes on Russia killed nine people and injured 23 (including a child), with casualties in Belgorod and Astrakhan; in Ukraine, Russian drone and missile attacks killed people in Sumy, Donetsk and other regions. Kyiv said it fired about 822 drones toward Russia, including Moscow, and targeted logistics hubs such as Wildberries warehouses, while Moscow reported strikes on Ukrainian cities and ports, underscoring a continuing cycle of violence with both sides accusing the other of targeting civilians.
A fresh wave of fuel shortages hits Russia, with Moscow-area gas stations reporting shortages as diesel remains widely available; authorities tighten sales and cite refinery disruptions from drone attacks and rising demand, while export bans and relaxed import rules are used to bolster domestic supplies amid regional restrictions.
A bombing in Sevastopol, Crimea killed a former Ukrainian submarine commander described as a defector; authorities said a Russian national woman was arrested over the assassination. The day also saw a drone strike on a Ukrainian passenger train that killed two, damage and shutdown of a Russian refinery near Orsk due to sanctions, and reports of a foiled plot to kill a Ukrainian American in Warsaw, as Kyiv and Moscow exchange blows while discussing a Black Sea grain corridor.
Ukrainian drone strikes have damaged or destroyed up to a third of Wildberries’ Russian warehouses, wiping out about 480 billion rubles ($5.7 billion) in goods and affecting tens of thousands of sellers, with potential regional budget implications and a shift toward rivals like Ozon.
Ukraine has been striking Wildberries’ warehouses across Russia, including in Yekaterinburg and Voronezh, as part of an effort to disrupt the Russian economy and military logistics. Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer with hundreds of warehouses and tens of thousands of partners, plays a central role in consumer shopping and distribution. Kyiv argues the strikes hit military-capacity via dual-use goods, while Moscow denies arming the war and says the attacks will hardly curb Russia’s war readiness, though they push the company to decentralize logistics and raise costs. The company’s vast network means disruption is often localized and not a decisive strategic blow.
Regional authorities across Russia are banning posting footage of drone strikes and air-defense activity, detaining civilians who share clips and sometimes forcing them to apologize on camera; penalties range from small fines for individuals to much higher sums for organizations, with enforcement expanding to at least 64 regions by 2026, illustrating a broad crackdown on civilians sharing war-related footage.
Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim says Ukrainian drone strikes on warehouses are attacks on civilians across 10 countries, detailing robust fire safety upgrades, personnel dedicated to safety, and that losses may not be compensable under force majeure. She outlines steps including government support discussions, two rounds of payments to affected sellers (the second reaching nearly 100,000 SMBs), loyalty discounts for large partners, a repayment holiday, and planned in-person meetings in hard-hit regions. The company is rebuilding its logistics network, leasing capacity, and intends to launch facilities in other countries to preserve delivery speed and seller turnover while urging calm and unity in Russia’s business community.
Russia’s campaign expands beyond military targets to Ukrainian gas stations, with more than 200 stations hit in June–July as drones and airstrikes disrupt civilian life near front lines and around Kyiv. CNN confirmed at least 30 gas-station strikes in that period; Ukrainian officials say the aim is to intimidate civilians, while gas workers and evacuees rely on stations as refuges. Zaporizhzhia alone saw 54 gas-station strikes in 24 days, causing deaths and injuries. Western officials warn of potential escalation from Moscow, and the UN has noted June as Ukraine’s deadliest month for civilians since 2022.
Ukrainian drone strikes damaged 11 Wildberries warehouses in Russia, causing heavy seller losses and uneven relief; under Russia’s Civil Code the custodian is responsible for safekeeping after goods are accepted, but a July 7 update treats drone attacks as force majeure only for goods delivered after that date, complicating compensation. Wildberries’ own insurance covers some transit and pickup-point losses but not stock held in warehouses, and many insurers either classify drone damage as force majeure or exclude it. Sellers can insure stock, diversify storage away from high-risk warehouses, or use their own facilities; in case of losses, they should document everything, file claims with Wildberries, and consider court action if compensation is refused. State-proposed protections are being discussed but not yet enacted.
Ukrainian drone attacks hit Russian industrial facilities in the Ryazan region, causing fires and prompting Wildberries to evacuate its local warehouses; authorities say 45 drones were shot down, with debris damaging property and injuring several people. Zelenskyy claimed strikes hit an oil refinery and a logistics centre in Ryazan and a site in Crimea, while Russia reported other attacks in Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk.