Ukrainian forces struck the sanctioned Avitek defense plant in Kirov with an FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile early Friday, killing six workers and injuring 26, according to Kyiv Independent. The facility, part of the Almaz-Antey conglomerate, produces surface-to-air missile components and parts for Kh-101 cruise missiles, and is sanctioned by the US, EU, UK, Canada, Switzerland, and New Zealand.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the strike, calling it “an absolutely just response” against a plant supplying “the occupier’s aviation and missile equipment,” according to Ukrainska Pravda.
In parallel, Ukrainian drones struck Wildberries logistics hubs in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. They annexed Crimea overnight — the sixth such attack on the retailer this month as of July 24, according to Meduza. Analyst Sergei Semko of Data Insight estimated losses from a single earlier round of strikes on Krasnodar and Stavropol warehouses at 150–230 billion rubles ($1.9–3 billion), according to Kyiv Post.
Zelensky has said the Wildberries sites supply “drone components, navigation equipment, and other gear” to Russian forces, though no independent reporting has confirmed a formal link to the Defense Ministry. Wildberries has not directly disputed the claim on the record. Still, on July 7 it updated its terms of service to state it is no longer liable for losses caused by drone attacks, missile strikes, or other military incidents, according to Kyiv Post.
The dual-track campaign comes as Russia’s air defenses struggle to keep pace. Military expert David Sharp told Current Time that Russian air defense forces are “thinly spread” and “simply do not match the threats they currently face” from Kyiv, according to RFE/RL.
