Ukrainian drone attacks struck industrial facilities in Russia’s western city of Ryazan early Tuesday, causing multiple fires and forcing major online retailer Wildberries to evacuate its local warehouses, authorities said.
Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov reported that 45 drones were shot down over the region overnight, with falling debris igniting fires in an industrial zone and damaging residential buildings. Six people were hospitalized with injuries, Malkov said in a statement on Telegram.
The strikes are the latest in an intensifying Ukrainian campaign targeting Russian industrial infrastructure, particularly facilities linked to companies that Kyiv accuses of supporting the Russian military effort. Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, said drones have damaged at least seven of its warehouses in recent days, destroying roughly 10 percent of the company’s storage capacity.
The attacks have disrupted operations and inflicted significant losses on tens of thousands of small businesses that sell goods and services through the Wildberries platform, according to company statements and local officials.
Separately, a woman was killed and a man injured after missile debris struck an apartment building in the southern Russian city of Taganrog on the Sea of Azov, said regional Governor Yury Slyusar. Taganrog is home to various industrial facilities and a grain terminal.
In Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, one person was killed and three wounded in a Russian drone attack, local authorities reported. Five people, including a child, were also injured in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where Russia carried out dozens of attacks using drones, aerial bombs and artillery, according to the head of the local military administration.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its drones struck two vessels carrying weapons and military equipment east of the Ukrainian port of Odesa. Both Ukraine and Russia have increasingly targeted shipping in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov in recent weeks, contributing to a decline in oil and grain supplies from the region.
Ukraine’s acting Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara said in an interview that Ukraine cannot go “punch for punch” when confronting Russia militarily and must instead use resources carefully and act in an “asymmetric” fashion. The drone campaign against Russian industrial targets reflects this strategy, aiming to disrupt Moscow’s supply chains and logistics without committing to costly direct engagements.
The strikes also come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday to discuss plans for Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors and a potential revival of peace talks with Russia. The diplomatic push underscores Ukraine’s effort to secure sustained Western support while pursuing unconventional tactics on the battlefield.
Analysts say the Wildberries attacks carry symbolic weight because the e-commerce giant has become a target of Ukrainian frustration with Russian companies that continue normal operations during the war. Kyiv has designated several Russian corporations as legitimate military targets, arguing they contribute to the Kremlin’s war economy.