Ozon Shares Drop 29 Percent After Ukrainian Drone Attacks

A series of Ukrainian drone strikes hit four Ozon logistics hubs across southern Russia overnight on August 24, causing the major e-commerce retailer's shares to tumble 29% on the Moscow Exchange.

The offensive brought the total number of damaged Ozon facilities to six within a 72-hour period. In response to the market volatility, the Moscow Exchange temporarily placed Ozon stock into a 30-minute auction mode to limit extreme price fluctuations.

The strikes on August 24 caused fires at several key locations, including a 130,000-square-meter warehouse complex in Dagestan's Tyube industrial park. Additional strikes caused a major fire at an Ozon center in Enem, on the outskirts of Krasnodar, and prompted precautionary evacuations at facilities in Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk.

Local officials confirmed the extent of the damage across the affected regions following the drone impacts.

"Drone fragments caused fires in the Kumtorkalinsky district," said Fyodor Shchukin, acting governor of Dagestan.

Regional authorities also reported casualties resulting from falling debris during the overnight defensive engagements.

"Falling debris struck a private children's center in Krasnodar, killing at least two children and injuring seven others, including two adults," said Kondratyev, governor of Krasnodar Krai.

Regional leadership in Adygea also confirmed that local infrastructure was affected by the overnight events.

"A fire broke out at the Adygeysk hub," said Murat Kumpilov, head of Russia's Adygea Republic.

The Ukrainian military confirmed its role in the broad night campaign targeting logistics, defense, and military sites across multiple regions.

"Overnight strikes hit 66 Russian targets — including a MiG-29 fighter jet, four radar stations, energy facilities, naval vessels, the Kombinat Kamenskiy defense-industrial facility, and Ozon logistics hubs across four southern regions," said Robert "Madyar" Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces.

The military rationale behind targeting major retail distribution centers was outlined when the campaign expanded beyond previous strikes on rival retailer Wildberries.

"Systematic strikes on storage centers holding dual-use goods are disrupting the enemy's logistics and negatively impacting Russia's economy as a whole. After Ukrainian units hit the 15 largest logistics hubs of Wildberries, it is now Ozon's turn," said Ukraine's Ministry of Defence.

The weekend actions began on August 22 when drones struck an Ozon facility in Chapayevsk, Samara Oblast, which processes over 215,000 delivery orders daily. That initial strike was followed by an attack on an Orenburg facility on August 23, forcing the evacuation of over 300 employees.

The financial impact of the physical damage caused Ozon stock to fall from 2,979 rubles to a low of 2,112.50 rubles before a slight recovery to 2,405 rubles. Shares of AFK Sistema, which holds a 31.8% stake in Ozon, fell more than 17%, while the broader MOEX index dropped 2% to 3% during the session.