At least seven people were killed and 49 injured after Ukrainian forces bombard two warehouses belonging to Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries.

Russian authorities confirmed the deaths and injuries as Ukrainian forces struck Wildberries warehouse in the city of Tambov, roughly 295 miles (475km) south-east of Moscow and its other warehouse in Elektrostal in the Moscow region.

Governor of the Tambov region Evgeniy Pervyshov, in a post on Telegram, said “Seven people working the night shift died on the spot,” adding that 28 drones were shot down on approach.

Similarly, Governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, said 48 drones were shot down in the Moscow region overnight, adding that some of those at Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal are in “serious condition.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Wildberries, Tatyana Kim, described the attack on its warehouses as a “terrible night” for Russia and for the company. 

However, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a post on X, said the attack was a response to Russia’s earlier attack on its civilian infrastructure.

“Today, our long-range sanctions worked across three areas on Russian territory, as well as on our temporarily occupied land and at sea. In particular, in response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities, two major logistics facilities were hit – in the Moscow and Tambov regions, more than 500 and nearly 700 kilometers from the front line,” Mr Zelensky said.

According to Mr Zelensky, Russian authorities used the bombed warehouses to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment. 

“An oil facility was also struck. In addition, Ukrainian mid-range strikes engaged targets in the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, and in our temporarily occupied Crimea,” Mr Zelensky said.