Wildberries warehouse burns in Samara as Ukraine targets logistics

A fire broke out on Sunday at a logistics facility operated by Wildberries in the Samara region following an attack. Video footage shared on social media showed flames engulfing the building and thick black smoke rising into the sky, though the company reported no casualties.

The online retailer, founded in 2004 by billionaire Tatyana Kim, has grown to become Russia's largest e-commerce platform. In a Telegram statement, the company confirmed that "logistics chains have been reorganised" and that "the receipt of deliveries and dispatch of orders are now being handled at other facilities."

The incident underscores the intensifying economic pressure on Russian domestic commerce as civilian infrastructure becomes intertwined with the war effort. In July, Ukrainian forces struck multiple Wildberries sites across the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated these warehouses were supplying drone parts and navigation equipment to the Russian military, noting the platform also sells knives, helmets, camouflage, and night-vision devices.

This disruption to Russian retail logistics coincides with a severe escalation in cross-border aerial bombardments. Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces launched approximately 1,900 drones, 1,600 aerial bombs, and 144 missiles at 16 regions this week, striking Sumy and killing one person while injuring six others in Brovary.

The Ukrainian air force stated it faced 133 drones and loitering munitions in a single overnight assault, successfully neutralising 109 Shahed, Gerber, Italmas, and Banderole systems. In retaliation, Ukrainian forces targeted Russian energy and military infrastructure overnight, hitting the Saratov oil refinery, the Engels military air base, an oil depot in Kaluga, and a drone storage facility in Bryansk.

The escalating drone and missile exchanges have depleted air defence stockpiles, prompting fresh demands from Kyiv for advanced interceptors. Zelenskyy urged Western allies to release US-made Patriot missiles, stating: "The world has Patriot missiles. What matters now is for our partners to make the political decision to provide the necessary packages. The United States knows what we need. Europe knows what we need. Anti-ballistic missiles must protect people – not sit in stockpiles."

Securing additional air defence capabilities now faces political headwinds in Washington after US President Donald Trump walked back a commitment made at the July NATO summit. Trump told a cabinet meeting: "We have not agreed to that. We're talking about it. But it's a hard thing to give away that kind of technology," contradicting his earlier promise in Turkey to license local production so Kyiv "can't complain."