Russia's second-biggest online retailer targeted in Ukrainian strikes

Ukraine’s forces struck Ozon, Russia’s second‑largest e‑commerce platform, in a series of overnight drone attacks that set fire to logistics centres in the southern regions of Krasnodar, Dagestan, Stavropol and Adygea. The blasts ignited major fires at warehouses in Krasnodar and Makhachkala, injured several workers and forced evacuations in Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk. Russian authorities reported that three teenagers were killed and six more wounded in the Krasnodar strike, while videos verified by the BBC showed a drone hitting a warehouse in Orenburg and a towering plume of smoke over Dagestan. Ozon’s shares slumped up to 12 % on the Moscow Exchange, dragging down its major shareholder, private‑equity firm AFK Sistema, which fell nearly 13 %.

The attacks follow weeks of Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries, the country’s biggest online retailer, which Kyiv has labelled a legitimate target for supplying military components—a claim Moscow denies. Ukraine’s defence ministry said the campaign against “dual‑use goods storage centres” aims to disrupt Russian logistics and weaken the economy, noting that after hitting 15 of Wildberries’ largest hubs, Ozon became the next focus. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin condemned the raids as opening “Pandora’s box,” vowing retaliation against Kyiv’s “most sensitive economic sectors.” The Kremlin has said it is consulting with business leaders to devise support measures for Ozon, while both sides continue to deny intentional targeting of civilians.

The strikes underscore how the war is encroaching on everyday Russian life, as Ozon and Wildberries function as the nation’s primary online marketplaces, serving up to 90 % of the economically active population, especially in remote areas lacking brick‑and‑mortar stores. The damage to warehouses not only disrupts consumer access to clothing, appliances and other goods but also places the financial burden on independent sellers who rely on the platforms for sales, storage and delivery. In parallel, Ukraine reported its own overnight attacks on food storage and energy infrastructure in the Odesa region, injuring five people, highlighting the broader pattern of targeting logistics and supply chains on both sides of the conflict.

⚡ Effects Interpreter