Ukrainian Drones Hit Ozon, Kill Civilians in Wave of Strikes on Russia

Ukrainian Drones Hit Russian Retailer Ozon, Refineries; Civilian Casualties Reported

Overview of Ukrainian Drone Strikes on Russian Targets

Casualties and Immediate Impact

Aug 22 (Reuters) – Ukrainian drones killed at least six civilians overnight in a wave of strikes on Russia overnight that also hit a warehouse owned by online retailer Ozon and an industrial facility in the Samara region, Russian regional officials said on Saturday.

In a post on Telegram, Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said that several people had been wounded in the strikes. He did not name the industrial facility struck, but Ukraine’s military said it had struck the region’s Novokuibyshevsk refinery, causing a fire.

Impact on Russian Retailer Ozon

Ozon, Russia’s second-largest online retailer, said in a statement on Telegram that work at its Samara region logistics centre in the town of Chapayevsk had been halted after the strike, which it said caused injuries.

First Strike on Ozon After Attacks on Wildberries

The strike is the first on Ozon, after weeks of drone attacks on its larger rival Wildberries, which Ukraine has cast as part of a wider campaign against economic infrastructure underpinning the Russian war in Ukraine.

Other Affected Regions and Civilian Toll

Krasnodar Region and Yeysk Port Town

Elsewhere, in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said that two children had been killed and two adults wounded in a strike on the Sea of Azov port town of Yeysk. He said a fire had broken out at an unnamed facility at the town’s port.

Belgorod and Bryansk Regions

The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said two people had been killed and 13 wounded in Ukrainian attacks. In Bryansk, another frontier region, four people were wounded, the local governor said.

Luhansk Province

In Luhansk, an eastern Ukrainian province almost all of which is controlled by Russia, Moscow-installed governor Leonid Pasechnik said that two civilians, including a 16-year-old boy, had been killed and nine more wounded.

Russian Defense Ministry Response

Downing of Ukrainian Drones

Russia’s Defence Ministry said it downed a total of 457 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Reporting and Editorial Credits

(Reporting by Felix Light;Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)