Russian drones kill a woman and 9-year-old son at home as Ukrainian civilian casualties surge

Ukrainian drones struck a Wildberries logistics warehouse in Russia's Tver Oblast overnight into August 14, damaging a wall for the third time in two weeks, according to regional governor Vitaly Korolev. No one was injured, and Wildberries reported that the goods stored there remained unharmed. The Emmaus facility, spanning approximately 77,000 square meters and located about 150 km from Moscow, has become a recurring target in a Ukrainian long-range drone campaign against the company, now in its fifth week.

Since July 18, Ukraine has targeted over 20 of Wildberries' logistics sites, as announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on June 25 to pressure Russia to end the war. Governor Korolev stated that drone debris damaged the warehouse building's wall in the Kalininsky district overnight, and that the resulting smoke was promptly extinguished.

Wildberries confirmed minor damage to the logistics complex, stating that the fire's aftermath was quickly eliminated, and that the goods were not affected. This marks the third reported strike on a Wildberries facility in the Emmaus area within two weeks. Ukrainian monitoring channel Supernova+ suggests that the repeated, inconclusive strikes indicate Ukrainian forces are likely to continue targeting the hub until it is disabled.

The campaign, characterized by repetition rather than precision, has primarily focused on Wildberries' largest distribution centers, with the Tver hub being a minor player. Despite causing only minor structural damage, the campaign has placed significant financial pressure on Wildberries, prompting the company to explore storage options in Kazakhstan beyond Ukrainian reach and prompting the Kremlin to consider state loans to support the company, as Russia's federal deficit continues to surge.

Ukrainian officials and Estonian military intelligence claim that Wildberries' warehouses store and distribute military-linked goods, including body armor and drone parts, though Wildberries denies these allegations.