Ukrainian drone attacks kill seven warehouse workers in Russia, spark fire at Moscow region oil depot
Details of the Drone Attacks and Their Impact
MOSCOW, July 18 (Reuters) - Waves of Ukrainian drone attacks killed seven warehouse workers and injured dozens more, while another attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in the wider capital region, regional governors said on Saturday.
Kotovsk Warehouse Attack
Governor Evgeniy Pervyshov said 25 people were injured after Ukrainian drones slammed into a warehouse owned by Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, in the city of Kotovsk in the Tambov region, roughly 475 kilometres (295 miles) southeast of Moscow.
Casualties and Immediate Aftermath
"Seven people working the night shift died on the spot," Pervyshov wrote on Telegram, adding that 28 drones were also shot down on approach.
"If they had achieved their goal, the number of civilian casualties could have been much higher," he said.
Ukrainian Claims and Targets
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv had struck two logistics facilities used by Russia to supply components for drone production and navigation equipment. An oil facility was also hit, Zelenskiy wrote on X.
Other Attacks in the Moscow Region
Elektrostal Warehouse Incident
The governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, said 24 people were injured following a drone attack on another Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal, a city east of Moscow.
Company Response
Wildberries co-founder and CEO, Tatyana Kim, said it had been a "terrible night" for Russia and for the company, offering her condolences to the victims' families.
Noginsk Oil Depot Fire
In the city of Noginsk, also in the Moscow region, falling drone debris caused a fire to break out at an oil depot, Vorobyov said.
He did not specify the damage to the facility, but said two people were injured in Noginsk and a nearby maternity hospital had been evacuated.
Reporting Credits
(Reporting by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
