July 29 (Reuters) – Ukrainian drones hit a number of industrial facilities in the central Russian city of Ryazan, while the country’s top online retailer Wildberries evacuated its warehouse in the city, local authorities and the company said on Wednesday.
Drones have damaged at least seven Wildberries warehouses in the past several days, destroying around 10% of the company’s storage capacity, disrupting operations and inflicting losses on tens of thousands of small businesses that sell goods and services on the platform, according to the company and local authorities.
Ryazan governor Pavel Malkov said on the Telegram messaging app that industrial sites caught fire and six people were seeking medical help.
He did not provide details about the facilities in the region, home to a number of large industrial complexes, including an oil refinery and a logistics hub.
Separately, a woman was killed and a man injured after missile debris hit an apartment building in the southern Russian city of Taganrog on the Sea of Azov, home to various industrial facilities and a grain terminal, regional governor Yuri Slyusar said.
In Ukraine’s Kherson, a man was killed and another three people injured in a Russian drone attack, local authorities said in Telegram.
Russia’s defence ministry said its drones hit two vessels carrying weapons and military equipment east of the Ukrainian port of Odesa.
Ukraine and Russia have stepped up strikes on vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov in recent weeks, which has led to a fall in oil and grain supplies in the region.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war launched by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
(Reporting by Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo; Editing by Kate Mayberry and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
