Ukraine's blitz on Russia's commercial warehouses enters 6th night, hitting Belgorod, Rostov oblasts

Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Ukrainian drones struck warehouses and energy infrastructure in the Russian city of Belgorod overnight on July 25, Russian officials and open-source monitoring channels reported.

Multiple explosions and large-scale fires were also reported in Rostov Oblast.

A series of explosions was reported in the city of Belgorod, with logistics warehouses and energy infrastructure set ablaze, according to Telegram channel Exilenova Plus. Footage from local residents purports to show fires and explosions across the city.

Regional authorities reported that a mass Ukrainian drone attack damaged a residential building, a gas pipe, and unspecified "commercial property." While the facility was not identified, the report follows a string of Ukrainian strikes on logistics centers serving the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries.  

One person was injured in the Belgorod warehouse strike and has been transferred to the hospital, according to Mayor Valentin Demidov.

Acting Belgorod Oblast Governor Alexander Shuvaev also said that several people were injured in the attacks on the region. He said emergency crews were continuing to extinguish fires across the city of Belgorod and that the wounded were receiving medical treatment.

Monitoring channels, citing geolocation from satellite data, reported strikes on Belgorod's Luch thermal power plant and an electrical substation.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports at the time of publication.

The city of Belgorod is located about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from Ukraine, with Belgorod Oblast situated along the Ukrainian-Russian border near Kharkiv, Sumy, and Luhansk oblasts.

Meanwhile, in southern Russia, residents reported fires and heavy smoke throughout the regional center of Rostov-on-Don. It is not yet clear which targets were hit.

Ukraine regularly strikes military and energy infrastructure deep within Russia and occupied territories. As Kyiv's strike campaign intensifies, Wildberries — frequently hailed as the Russian version of Amazon —has sustained nearly a week of Ukrainian attacks on its facilities.

Overnight on July 24, Wildberries logistics centers in St. Petersburg came under fire in a rare attack on the second-largest city in Russia. Wildberries warehouses in Tver and occupied Crimea were also hit the same night.

The attacks followed a series of strikes over the preceding days in Russia's Voronezh, Krasnodar Krai, Stavropol Krai, Moscow, and Tambov oblasts. The full economic toll of the attacks on the retailer is not clear, but some analysts estimate billions of dollars in damage.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 24 that the targeted logistics centers provide the Russian army with military supplies.

Wildberries lists a variety of military equipment available for purchase on its website, including drone components and body armor. The company has come under international sanctions for its indirect links to the Russian military and its significant role in the Russian economy.