Ukraine today marked its Independence Day with a massive drone blitz targeting major Russian e-commerce and retail logistics hub.
The dramatic explosions igniting infernos at a trio of Ozon marketplace logistics centres came as Andy Burnham made his first foreign trip as premier to Kyiv.
Kyiv has for weeks mounted a campaign targeting Russia’s Wildberries – the country’s top online retailer and often dubbed ‘Russia’s Amazon’ – alleging it supplied components to the military.
Ozon is Russia’s second-largest online marketplace, with its pick-up points and delivery boxes ubiquitous across the country.
After Ukrainian units hit the 15 largest logistics hubs of Wildberries, it is now Ozon’s turn,’ Ukraine’s defence ministry said on Saturday, ahead of three continuous days of strikes on Ozon hubs.
Ozon said ‘a fire broke out’ at a logistics centre in Makhachkala, in southern Russia, following a drone attack at around 5.00am on Monday.
Separately, NATO scrambled two F-16 fighters in Romania after a suspected Russian drone crossed into its airspace in the Târgu Bujor area after overflying Moldova.
‘Two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, from the 86th Air Base in Borcea, and an IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter were taken off the ground to monitor the situation,’ said a Defence Ministry statement in Bucharest.
