Seven Dead, 51 Wounded in Ukrainian Drone Attacks on Russian Regions
Seven people were killed and at least 51 others wounded in overnight Ukrainian drone attacks across several Russian regions, Russian officials said on Saturday. The strikes targeted warehouses, an oil depot, and a residential building, marking a significant escalation in Ukraine's campaign against infrastructure inside Russia.
The attacks come as the war, now in its fifth year, continues with both sides conducting long-range strikes. Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted energy and logistics facilities within Russia, aiming to disrupt military supply lines. Russia, in turn, has launched regular drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy grids.
Two warehouses belonging to Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, were hit: one in Kotovsk, Tambov region, about 360 km from the Ukrainian border, and another in Elektrostal, approximately 50 km east of Moscow. Seven night-shift workers were killed and 25 wounded at the Kotovsk warehouse, according to Tambov Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov. In Elektrostal, 24 people were wounded, said Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov.
A separate drone strike ignited an oil depot in Noginsk, just north of Elektrostal, wounding two more people. Governor Vorobyov said a nearby maternity hospital and a residential building were evacuated as a precaution. In the city of Vladimir, about 180 km east of Moscow, a drone hit a residential building, causing a brief fire but no casualties, according to Governor Alexander Avdeyev.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed responsibility for the strikes, stating in a Telegram post that Ukrainian long-range attacks hit "two significant logistical facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions." He added that these facilities were used to supply sanctioned components for drones and navigation equipment. Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian special operations conducted strikes against targets in the Sea of Azov and in occupied territories.
In response, Russia's Defence Ministry reported that its air defences intercepted 379 Ukrainian drones overnight over 19 Russian regions, as well as the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and the Sea of Azov and Black Sea.
The attacks underscore the intensifying use of drones by both sides, with Ukraine seeking to bring the war deeper into Russian territory while Russia continues to pound Ukrainian infrastructure. The conflict shows no signs of abating, with diplomatic efforts stalled.
