Russian E-retailer Ozon Evacuates Tatarstan Warehouse Following Drone Alert

Russia's second largest e-commerce company, Ozon, evacuated its warehouse in Zelenodolsk, Tatarstan, on Friday following a Ukrainian drone alert. The company stated that the evacuation took a few minutes, no casualties occurred, and the logistics center remained undamaged and has since resumed operations. A verified video showed white smoke rising next to the blue warehouse, while an unverified video showed workers fleeing as a drone exploded nearby. Ukrainian drone forces commander Robert Brovdi posted a message on Telegram stating that ozone concentration exceeds the critical norm, which appeared to be a reference to the company. This event follows attacks on at least a dozen warehouses belonging to Ozon's main rival, Wildberries, since July 18. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has described these logistics hubs as being involved in supplying Russian forces with drone components and other equipment, though the Kremlin has denied that Wildberries handles military supplies. Other analysts suggest the attacks aim to disrupt the Russian consumer economy or impact financial stability because the companies are major borrowers from Russian banks. Additionally, the European Union imposed sanctions on the financial units of both Ozon and Wildberries on July 24.