Ukraine hits major Russian shopping hubs in huge drone attack as Andy Burnham makes first trip to Kyiv

By WILL STEWART and SOPHIA STANFORD, NEWS REPORTER Published: 08:52, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 08:52, 24 August 2026 Ukraine today marked its Independence Day with huge drone attacks on three major Russian online shopping hubs and an audacious bid to strike Vladimir Putin's military cosmodrome. The dramatic explosions igniting infernos at a trio of Ozon marketplace logistics centres came as Andy Burnham made his first foreign trip as premier to Kyiv. Separately, NATO scrambled two F-16 fighters in Romania after a suspected Russian drone crossed into its airspace in the Târgu Bujor area after overflying Moldova. 'Two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, from the 86th Air Base in Borcea, and an IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter were taken off the ground to monitor the situation,' said a Defence Ministry statement in Bucharest. Kyiv has for weeks mounted a campaign targeting Russia's Wildberries - the country's top online retailer and often dubbed 'Russia's Amazon' - alleging it supplied components to the military. Ozon is Russia's second-largest online marketplace, with its pick-up points and delivery boxes ubiquitous across the country. 'After Ukrainian units hit the 15 largest logistics hubs of Wildberries, it is now Ozon's turn,' Ukraine's defence ministry said on Saturday, ahead of three continuous days of strikes on Ozon hubs. Ozon said 'a fire broke out' at a logistics centre in Makhachkala, in southern Russia, following a drone attack at around 5.00am on Monday. Ukrainian drones strike Ozon's largest North Caucasus logistics hub near Makhachkala, Dagestan Smoke could be seen billowing from Ozon's largest North Caucasus logistics hub near Makhachkala, Dagestan 'According to preliminary information, there are several wounded' with no danger to their lives, the firm said in a Telegram message. Additionally, Ozon warehouses in Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk - also in the country's south - were 'evacuated due to the threat of a drone attack', with no injuries or damage to the facilities. Ozon said earlier in the night that a 'major fire' was burning at one of its logistics centres in Krasnodar after a drone attack. 'All systems operated as designed, and we promptly evacuated staff. Preliminarily, there are no casualties,' the company said. In Kyiv, Burnham is expected to hand over top secret missile plans at Ukraine's independence day celebrations later today and accept an award recognising the UK's support. European defence firm MBDA has been given permission to share information on UK components for the long-range Scalp missile - the French-produced version of the UK's Storm Shadow. The 'deep precision strike' missiles use shared French and British technology, and could now be produced in Ukraine.  The PM, who travelled to the Ukrainian capital overnight by train, said: 'On Ukraine's 35th anniversary of independence, its people should be in no doubt: The UK is behind you. Ukraine's Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha greets Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham upon his arrival by train in Kyiv Ukrainian drones strike Ozon's largest North Caucasus logistics hub near Makhachkala, Dagestan Ukrainian drones hit Russian homeware giant Kuchenland's warehouse in Krasnodar 'In the fight and the rebuilding to come, we stand with Ukraine. Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve. We will not back down till there is a lasting peace.' Burnham joined French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Council chief António Costa at talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky at a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. Russia said relations with Britain are at 'an unprecedentedly low level' as it ordered its ambassador Andrey Kelin back to Moscow after seven years in post. It follows the Kremlin warning of 'consequences' over UK drones being used by Ukraine to strike far into Russia.  The recent attacks on the warehouses - typically easier to reach than heavily defended military installations - have already delivered economic losses worth billions of dollars. Russia has railed at the attacks on its 'civilian infrastructure' more than four years into its full-scale offensive on Ukraine that has killed thousands of civilians and flattened cities across the country's east and south.   Drone threats were announced on both Saturday and Sunday due to a 'massive UAV attack on the territory of Arkhangelsk region', but the authorities sought to restrict information about the attack.  Smoke was seen rising from the vicinity of the military spaceport — around 1,000 miles from Ukraine — but there was no confirmation of any damage. Russian missile and drone attack sets Epicentr hypermarket ablaze in Odesa Huge clouds of smoke could be seen rising from Epicentr hypermarket in Odesa following Russian missile and drone attack Early today a successful Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket launch was carried out from Plesetsk carrying an unidentified Defence Ministry payload. A warehouse belonging to the Kuchenland Home home goods chain was also ablaze in Krasnodar city after a Ukrainian drone strike.  Debris from a falling drone hit a private children's centre in Krasnodar, killing two children and injuring seven. Ukrainian drones also attacked Kamensk-Shakhtinsk, in Rostov region, amid reports a military equipment base was ablaze. In Odesa, Russian Shahed drones hit an Epicentr outlet — Ukraine's largest home-improvement and DIY retail chain — in an apparent revenge strike, with smoke seen pouring from the building. 'Odesa is again under massive enemy missile and drone attack,' said head of Odesa regional administration Oleh Kiper. 'The main blow was to food storage facilities and energy infrastructure. Private homes were also damaged. Fires broke out. No information about casualties has been received yet.'