Blaze in St. Petersburg: Major Fire Erupts Following Ukrainian Strike on Russian Warehouse

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — A massive wave of Ukrainian long-range drones struck Russia’s second-largest city early Friday morning, July 24, 2026 triggering severe fires at two major logistics centers belonging to Wildberries, the country's largest online retailer. The targeted strikes sent towering plumes of thick grey smoke over the historic skyline of St. Petersburg and forced the brief closure of its international airport.

The attack marks an aggressive escalation in Kyiv’s campaign of "long-range sanctions" targeting Russian economic, logistics, and military infrastructure deep behind the front lines.

Residents across St. Petersburg and the surrounding Leningrad region reported hearing the roar of low-flying drones followed by powerful explosions shortly after 3:00 a.m. local time.

Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed that civilian infrastructure had been hit, reporting that at least three people were wounded in the strikes.

The strikes successfully targeted two critical hubs for Wildberries—often referred to as "Russia's Amazon." This included the Shushary Hub, a massive 106,000-square-meter facility located roughly 15 kilometers south of the city center that stands as one of the company's largest distribution centers in northwestern Russia. Additionally, the UtkinaZavod Complex, situated just beyond St. Petersburg’s administrative border in Novosaratovka, also caught fire following a direct drone impact that was caught on camera by eyewitnesses.

Wildberries co-founder Tatyana Kim confirmed that operations at both facilities were temporarily suspended, though emergency crews managed to save parts of the structures.

The scale of the overnight drone raid triggered immediate defensive and safety protocols across the region. Pulkovo Airport completely suspended flight operations during the height of the attack, resulting in delays and disruptions for approximately 50 departures. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces shot down hundreds of drones overnight across more than a dozen regions, with Governor Drozdenko stating that air defenses intercepted between 33 and 50 drones over the Leningrad region alone.

This raid marks the third overnight attack targeting Wildberries facilities within a single week, following previous strikes that destroyed warehouses near Moscow, Tambov, Krasnodar, and a parallel overnight strike in annexed Crimea.

Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky later confirmed the operations, justifying the targeting of commercial logistics networks. According to Ukrainian intelligence, the massive e-commerce facilities are allegedly being leveraged by Moscow to bypass international trade restrictions.

"These facilities are being used to supply sanctioned components for drone production and military navigation equipment," Zelensky stated, framing the strikes as necessary retribution for Russia's ongoing missile barrages against Ukrainian cities.