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At least 27 people were killed after a Russian drone struck a warehouse near Kyiv late Friday, sparking a huge fire and explosions, Ukrainian authorities said.
“Unfortunately, as things stand, 27 people are known to have died. And this figure may not be final,” Kyiv region governor Tymur Tkachenko said Saturday.
Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations Saturday over overnight strikes that also hit a logistics facility belonging to Russian online retailer Ozon in the southern Rostov region.
Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar said on Telegram that his region came under attack overnight and that seven people were injured in Rostov-on-Don, the administrative center of the southern Russian region.
One of the injured was in critical condition, he said.
Slyusar said two apartment buildings in the regional capital were damaged, while drone debris was found on the grounds of warehouse facilities in the region’s Aksaysky district.
Ozon said one of its logistics facilities in the Rostov region was attacked by a drone overnight, causing a small fire that was quickly extinguished.
“We have temporarily suspended operations at the facility so emergency services can inspect the area and ensure it is completely safe,” the company said.
“We are not currently accepting deliveries from vendors here, and those in transit are being redirected to other facilities,” it added.
Ozon also said employees had been evacuated from a second logistics center in the region because of the risk of strikes.
“The facility is intact, but operations have been suspended for now for safety reasons,” the company said.
Ukraine has intensified drone strikes on Russian logistics facilities in a campaign that began in mid-July and has spread across several Russian regions.
Since July 18, Ukrainian drones have targeted logistics centers belonging to Russian e-commerce retailer Wildberries in several regions, including the Moscow region.
Strikes have also expanded to Ozon facilities since last week.
Kyiv has alleged that both retailers play a role in Moscow’s military supply chain, while Moscow and the two companies say the facilities are commercial.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its air defenses shot down 313 Ukrainian drones over 11 regions, as well as over the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
The ministry later claimed that Russian forces struck logistics centers and an ammunition depot in Kyiv and the surrounding region, as well as facilities in the ports of Izmail and Mykolaiv.
It claimed the overnight targets “operated in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, said a large-scale fire broke out at an undisclosed location in the Bucha district of the Kyiv region, injuring six people.
He later said there were deaths as a result of the strike but noted that authorities did not yet have final information on the number of fatalities.
“Rescue workers and all relevant services are continuing to work at the scene,” he said.
Odesa Governor Oleh Kiper said one person was killed and three others were injured in strikes on the southern part of the region.
“As a result of the attack, five trucks with grain were completely destroyed by fire; three more trucks were damaged. The fires that arose have now been completely extinguished by rescuers,” Kiper said.
Acting Mykolaiv Governor Heorhii Reshetilov reported damage to energy facilities in the southern region.
He said more than 300,000 subscribers were cut off from electricity, according to preliminary information, while energy workers and relevant services were working to restore power.
Ukraine’s Air Force claimed that the country’s air defenses shot down 233 of 267 drones launched by Russia overnight.
It also claimed Russia launched an Onyx cruise missile and an Iskander-M ballistic missile but did not provide further details.
Independent verification of the claims is difficult because of the ongoing war.
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