Russian strikes destroy wine warehouse for second time in two months, as attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure intensify

Russian forces struck the central warehouse of wine retailer Okwine and distributor Wine Hunters for the second time on the night of 1–2 September, destroying the facility and dealing a fresh blow to a business that had only just begun to recover from the first attack, the company confirmed.

„We have now been hit for the second time in two months, and once again on the night of 1-2 [July and September]. The new central warehouse of Okwine and Wine Hunters was destroyed in the enemy attack. Fortunately, no one from our team was injured,” Okwine said in a statement published by Ukrainska Pravda. The company thanked the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Emergency Service and air defence forces.

The first strike on the same warehouse occurred on the night of 1–2 July 2026, also destroying the facility. The company had been importing new stock and planning even short-term recovery when the second attack hit. The value of the stock lost in the second strike has not yet been disclosed, but in July a similar attack on the main product warehouse of another wine retailer, Winetime, destroyed stock estimated at UAH 300 million (US$6.7 million), according to the company’s earlier statement.

A pattern of strikes on civilian infrastructure

The double strike on a wine warehouse is part of a broader Russian campaign targeting logistics and storage facilities across Ukraine. In the days following the 1–2 September attack, Russian forces struck several other warehouses and industrial sites:

• On 3 September, Russian forces launched two attacks on a warehouse of the pharmaceutical company Teva Ukraine, according to Ukrainska Pravda. No casualties were immediately reported.
• On 4 September, a Russian strike on a warehouse in Odesa Oblast caused casualties, local authorities reported. Ukrainska Pravda published photos of the aftermath but did not specify the number of injured or killed.
• On the same day, Russian forces attacked warehouses in Sviatopetrivske, a settlement just outside Kyiv, sparking a large fire. The State Emergency Service responded, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda.
• Also on 4 September, a Russian strike hit a bus in Kherson and targeted civilians across the oblast, killing several people, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
• On 5 September, another Metinvest steel plant – the company’s third in recent months – halted production after a Russian strike, Ukrainska Pravda reported.

Why this matters

The repeated targeting of commercial warehouses – from wine and pharmaceuticals to steel – indicates a Russian strategy to degrade Ukraine’s economic resilience and logistics chains, rather than purely military objectives. While the strikes on the wine warehouse caused no injuries, they represent a direct attack on civilian businesses and the livelihoods of their employees. The pattern also suggests that Russian forces are using intelligence to hit the same sites twice, forcing companies to either relocate or face repeated destruction.

For Europe, these strikes underscore the continued vulnerability of Ukraine’s supply lines and the broader economic cost of the war. The destruction of a pharmaceutical warehouse could affect the availability of medicines, while the halt of Metinvest steel production – a key export earner – reduces Ukraine’s ability to finance its defence.

Moscow has not officially claimed responsibility for the specific warehouse strikes, but Ukrainian officials have consistently attributed such attacks to the Russian Armed Forces. Both Okwine and Wine Hunters have not yet announced their next steps, but the company’s statement made clear the psychological toll: „We had only just barely begun to recover from the first strike, bringing in new products and trying to plan for the future, even if only a little, even if just for a week.”