Ukrainian drones have set fire to warehouses of Ozon, Russia’s 2nd‑biggest online retailer, injuring workers and causing a 12% drop in its stocks. The attacks show how war is touching everyday life for ordinary Russians who use Ozon to shop.
Ozon’s logistics hubs in Krasnodar, Dagestan, Stavropol and Adygea were hit overnight. Fires sparked at a center in Makhachkala and at another in Krasnodar, with several employees injured.
Ukraine has been striking sites belonging to Russia’s largest online store, Wildberries, for weeks. It now targets Ozon, describing the company as a legitimate military supplier—an assertion Moscow denies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strikes opened “Pandora’s box” and that Russia would hit back at Ukraine’s most sensitive economic sectors. “Both Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians,” he added.
Ozon’s share price fell 12% on the Moscow Exchange, and its biggest shareholder, AFK Sistema, slipped another 13%. The Kremlin said it is working with business leaders to develop support options, but “the damage to the economy is real.”
The strikes hit people in remote towns where Ozon’s self‑service pick‑up points are often the only way to get household items. They bring the war closer to home by disrupting the shopping that many Russians rely on.
While Amazon sells goods directly alongside its marketplace, both Wildberries and Ozon operate mainly as marketplaces, linking independent sellers with buyers and handling logistics and payments. That model spreads the cost of the strikes across many businesses rather than a single retailer.
Both companies have been dubbed “Russia’s Amazon”, but the attacks reflect a new kind of corporate warfare that merges military objectives with everyday consumer life.
