Ukrainian drones torched a Wildberries warehouse outside Moscow. In that town, the weekend went on as usual.
In the early hours of July 18, Ukrainian drones struck a Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal, a city outside Moscow. Smoke from the fire spread across more than 5,000 square kilometers (about 1,930 square miles) — twice the area of Moscow — and was captured in satellite imagery and footage shot from an airplane. Yet at first glance, city life seemed to have barely changed: people pushed strollers, relaxed outdoors, and went paddleboarding. A photojournalist for Bereg, an independent Russian outlet, traveled to Elektrostal while the warehouse — considered the largest run by Wildberries, Russia’s biggest marketplace — was still burning. Meduza is republishing the piece in full.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.
Bereg