Russian authorities and the online retailer Ozon say a drone strike hit a company logistics center in the Samara region overnight, causing a fire, injuries and a mass evacuation.
DR reports, citing Reuters, that Russia’s second-largest trading platform, Ozon, was struck in a drone attack. Regional governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said Ukrainian drones hit an Ozon warehouse and an industrial facility in the Samara region.
According to the governor, several people were wounded in the overnight strikes. Ozon said on Telegram that operations at its logistics center in the city of Chapayevsk had been halted. The company said the attack caused a fire and led to several injuries, and that 500 people were evacuated.
Ukraine has not commented on the reports concerning Ozon. In a statement, the Ukrainian military said it had struck an oil refinery in Novokuibyshevsk in the Samara region during the night, causing a fire.
What other outlets report
Reuters describes the strike as the first known attack on Ozon. The agency notes that it follows weeks of drone attacks on Wildberries, Ozon’s larger rival. Reuters also reported that Russia’s Defence Ministry said 457 Ukrainian drones were downed across the country overnight.
Kyiv Independent reported that Ozon is Russia’s second-largest online marketplace and that more than 500 employees were evacuated from the site. The outlet added that the strike also appeared to target the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in the same region.
Accounts of the casualty toll differ. The Samara regional administration and Reuters referred to several wounded people receiving medical care. TASS reported four injuries, including one person in critical condition after jumping from a second-floor window.
RBC-Ukraine reported that Ozon halted deliveries from the Chapayevsk site and said affected orders would be canceled and refunded. Per the same report, the company stated that its wider logistics network continued to operate normally.
Ozon said the Chapayevsk facility’s operations were suspended indefinitely, according to statements published by the company and cited by TASS. The company said the evacuation of more than 500 staff was completed within minutes of the strike.
The wider campaign
Reuters placed the strike in the context of Ukraine’s continued targeting of economic infrastructure linked to Russia’s war effort. The agency noted that Ozon’s competitor Wildberries has been struck repeatedly in recent weeks, with Ukraine claiming responsibility for those attacks.
The extent of the damage at the Ozon site has not been independently verified. Reporting so far rests on statements from the company, regional officials and Russian state media.
