At least three people were killed in drone attacks across Russia on Wednesday as Ukraine struck and set fire to a Wildberries warehouse in the central Tambov region, the second time the facility has been targeted since July.
Tambov Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said the blaze at the Wildberries facility in the city of Kotovsk engulfed more than 100,000 square meters (1.1 million square feet), an area roughly equivalent to 14 soccer fields.
One employee sustained a concussion from the blast wave, Pervyshov added, while emergency services worked to control the fire at the site.
Wildberries said it evacuated all of its employees from the warehouse. It said the facility was no longer accepting new shipments.
Videos and photos shared on social media showed a large column of black smoke rising from the warehouse and spreading across the morning sky in Kotovsk.
Local officials asked residents to avoid going outside over the next two days due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Wildberries warehouse in Kotovsk was previously struck on July 18, when Ukraine began its air campaign against the online retailer, which it accuses of helping supply the Russian military. Ukraine has also recently started attacking facilities belonging to Wildberries competitor Ozon.
In the neighboring Lipetsk region, a man and a 14-year-old were killed in a fire sparked by a falling drone. Meanwhile, in the southwestern Belgorod region, a woman was killed in a drone attack, local authorities said.
Reuters contributed reporting.
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