Ukrainian Drones Hit Ozon Warehouses for Third Straight Night

Ukrainian drones struck at least three Ozon logistics centers and several other sites across southern Russia and occupied Crimea overnight Aug.23-24 – the third consecutive night of strikes on the retail giant The strikes coincided with Ukraine’s Independence Day, marking 35 years since the country declared independence from the Soviet Union.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. A facility in Krasnodar belonging to home goods retailer Kuchenland caught fire during the attack, according to independent Russian Telegram channel Astra. Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said falling drone debris struck a childcare center, killing two children and injuring seven more along with two adults. He said debris also fell on residential buildings and apartment blocks under construction, and that the strikes sparked a fire at warehouse facilities in the region. Krasnodar sits roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles) from occupied Berdiansk in southeastern Ukraine and about 365 kilometers (227 miles) from Ukrainian-held territory near Orikhiv. Elsewhere, an Ozon logistics center near the village of Enem in the Adygea Republic was also struck, according to Telegram channel Exile Plus. Another Ozon hub in Nevinnomyssk, in Stavropol Krai, caught fire after being hit, Telegram channel Exilenova Plus reported. Stavropol Krai Governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed drones targeted Nevinnomyssk’s industrial zone and said some were intercepted by air defenses, though he did not specify which facilities were targeted. Other Topics of Interest Kazakhstan Holds Early Elections for New Parliament Kazakhstan has begun voting in early parliamentary elections following constitutional changes, with the pro-presidential Adilet party expected to win. A third Ozon site, in the town of Tyube in the Dagestan Republic, was also engulfed in flames after being struck, Exilenova Plus reported. In occupied Crimea, a fire broke out at a radar tracking unit after four strikes in the area, according to the pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel Crimean Wind. None of the reports from Russian or Crimean channels could be independently verified. Monday’s strikes extend a campaign that has intensified in recent days. Ozon logistics centers in Samara Oblast were struck Aug. 22, and another hub in Orenburg was hit overnight Aug. 23. The broader campaign began weeks ago with Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, which Kyiv accuses of supplying components to the Russian military. On Aug. 16, Ukrainian forces announced that operations had disabled seven of the 10 largest logistics centers belonging to Wildberries. Ozon and Wildberries, often called “Russia’s Amazon,” dominate the country’s fast-growing e-commerce sector. Their warehouses have become recurring targets, costing Russian businesses – and the Russian war machine – billions of dollars, Ukrainian officials say. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.