Ukraine attacks St. Petersburg and strikes ‘Russia’s Amazon’. Another Kyiv raid targeted a military complex in Kirov oblast. The wave of strikes carried out by Ukraine has affected multiple regions. The logistics centers of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, were hit overnight by Ukrainian drone attacks in the Russian cities of St. Petersburg and Tver and in Crimea. According to Russian Telegram news channels, the logistics centers of the ‘Russian Amazon’ in St. Petersburg suffered a large fire at one of the facilities.
Residents posted videos on social media showing a dense column of black smoke rising over part of the city, with the attack reported at the Utkin Zavod logistics park, which houses a Wildberries facility immediately south of the city in the village of Novosaratovka. Another strike was reported at a Wildberries plant in the Shushary district of St. Petersburg, according to the independent Russian Telegram channel Astra. Thick columns of black smoke were also observed at that site.
St. Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov confirmed the drone attack on the city, writing on Telegram that it targeted “unspecified civilian infrastructure along the Moskovskoye highway.” Hours later, the oblast governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed the strike on the Wildberries facility in Novosaratovka, saying three people were injured in the incident. Following the attack, about 50 flights were delayed at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport, authorities said. Wildberries, often compared to e-commerce giant Amazon, has experienced five days of Ukrainian strikes on its facilities over the past week.
Other attacks by Kyiv
At least six people were killed and 26 others injured following a Ukrainian strike on an industrial plant in Kirov oblast in central Russia, regional governor Alexander Sokolov announced on Telegram. “As a result of the attack carried out by the Kyiv regime against a company in Kirov, unfortunately 32 people were affected. Among them, six people died on the spot,” Sokolov said, without giving further details about the target that was hit.
Air defense early-warning systems intercepted and destroyed 571 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over many Russian regions during the night, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The drones were neutralized over Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Oryol, Pskov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, the Moscow region, Krasnodar Territory, Crimea and in the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
Kyiv: “Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia, at least 25 injured including 6 children”
Meanwhile, Russia struck the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia during the night with five guided aerial bombs, injuring at least 25 people. According to Ivan Fedorov, governor of Zaporizhzhia oblast, among the injured are six children, including a three-month-old. The attack caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure, including a private medical center, residential buildings, a kindergarten and several vehicles. Emergency services continue to work at the impact sites as authorities assess the overall damage and provide medical assistance to the injured.
Zelensky will meet Trump in Washington next week
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will meet U.S. president Donald Trump in Washington next week during a visit to the United States for the funeral of U.S. senator Lindsey Graham, Ukrainian broadcaster Suspilne reported, citing diplomatic sources. Graham’s funeral is scheduled for July 28 at the National Cathedral in Washington. A staunch supporter of both Ukraine and President Trump, Graham died suddenly on July 11 while returning from a visit to Kyiv, after announcing he had reached an agreement with the White House on the long-awaited sanctions bill against Russia.
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