First Ozon marketplace warehouse struck in Russia following a series of attacks on Wildberries facilities

Russia has reported the initial drone assault on a logistics facility operated by Ozon, the prominent online shopping platform. This incident occurred on August 22, following a weeks-long series of attacks against Wildberries' establishments. The Ozon warehouse situated in Chapayevsk, Samara Region, sustained significant damage resulting in a large-scale fire.

Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed several casualties resulting from the mass assault that targeted the Samara Region overnight. Russian forces and mobile fire units successfully shot down and subdued several Ukrainian drones. Alongside the Ozon facility, the Kuybyshev oil refinery also suffered damage. Eyewitness footage published by Ukrainian monitoring channels, including Supernova+, documented the attack and the subsequent blaze which engulfed a warehouse of approximately 135,000 square meters, ranking it as Ozon's fifth-largest facility in Russia.

Proximity to the affected warehouse include two defense industry enterprises - JSC Promsintez and JSC Polimer - about one kilometer away. Promsintez manufactures TNT, ammonites, and nitrobenzene, while Polimer produces military-grade weapons, ammunition, and explosives. Both entities have previously been targeted in attacks. Moreover, a fire broke out at the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery, part of Rosneft's operations, in the same Samara Region, which has also been attacked multiple times in the past.

These drone attacks constitute the first instances of such actions targeting Ozon's logistics complexes in Russia. Previously, Wildberries faced the brunt of these Ukrainian strikes, with 21 of its facilities across 16 Russian regions and annexed Simferopol coming under attack as of August 19. The total floor area affected amounted to approximately 2.3 million square meters, with a significant number of facilities incurring substantial damage forcing some operations to relocate.

In response, Wildberries has begun incorporating drone strike coverage in their seller insurance policies due to the escalating wave of warehouse attacks orchestrated by Ukraine.