Ukrainian drones attacked industrial sites and Wildberries warehouses in Ryazan, Russia, on July 29, sparking fires and damaging property. At least seven Wildberries warehouses were hit in recent days, destroying about 10% of the company's storage capacity, forcing an evacuation of the Ryazan warehouse [1, 2, 3].
Six people were hospitalized from the Ryazan attacks but none are reported to be in life-threatening condition. Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said, "At the moment, six people have been hospitalized. There is no threat to their lives, and doctors are providing the necessary medical assistance" [1, 2, 3].
Several Ukrainian drones were shot down over Ryazan overnight on July 28-29, with Russian officials reporting 45 intercepted [2]. The strikes are part of an increasing Ukrainian effort to hit Russian industrial and logistics targets, including major firms such as Wildberries, in an attempt to apply economic pressure. Natalya Kovaleva, Chatham House researcher, said, "Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries present a significant new development, reflecting Kyiv's broader effort to ratchet up economic pressure on business and ordinary Russians" [4].
In other violence linked to the conflict, missile debris killed one woman and injured a man in Taganrog, a southern Russian city, while a Russian drone attack killed one man and wounded three in Ukraine's Kherson region on July 29 [1, 2].
Separately, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported its drones struck two vessels carrying weapons near the Ukrainian port of Odesa [1, 2]. Ukrainian Acting Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara stated Ukraine is using an "asymmetric" approach, saying, "Ukraine cannot go 'punch for punch' when confronting Russia militarily but must use resources carefully and act in an 'asymmetric' fashion" [2].
Wildberries may require financial aid due to disruptions from the attacks, according to some analysts [4]. The situation remains fluid after the July 29 strikes, with ongoing evacuations and emergency responses in Ryazan [1, 2, 3].
