Ukraine on Saturday intensified its long-range drone campaign against Russia, killing at least eight people after striking logistics hubs belonging to the country’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, in the Moscow and Tambov regions, officials said.
The overnight assault, one of Kyiv’s deadliest cross-border attacks in recent months, also hit an oil depot and triggered massive fires that engulfed the warehouses, sending thick black smoke billowing across the Moscow region for hours.
Authorities in Tambov said seven night-shift workers died when explosive-laden drones struck a Wildberries logistics centre, while Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov confirmed that another victim later died in hospital following a separate strike on a warehouse in Elektrostal.
Nearly 60 people were injured in the attacks and taken to hospital, according to regional officials. Firefighters battled the inferno in Elektrostal for several hours before bringing it under control, while the blaze in Tambov was extinguished later in the day. An empty kindergarten in Elektrostal was also damaged, but no casualties were reported.
Wildberries Chief Executive Officer Tatiana Kim described the attack as a national tragedy.
“It was a terrible night, terrible events for our company and for our country. It is a pain that cannot be put into words,” she said.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defences confronted one of the largest drone offensives yet, with more than 370 Ukrainian drones launched toward the Moscow region overnight. He added that almost 1,900 drones targeting the capital had been intercepted over the past week alone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation was carried out in retaliation for sustained Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. He alleged that the targeted logistics facilities were being used to supply sanctioned components for Russia’s drone production and navigation systems.
“In response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities, two major logistics facilities were hit in the Moscow and Tambov regions,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
The latest strikes underscore Kyiv’s expanding strategy of taking the war deep into Russian territory through what it describes as “long-range sanctions.” The campaign has focused heavily on Russia’s energy infrastructure, disrupting fuel supplies across much of the country and exposing vulnerabilities far from the front lines.
Russian regions have faced mounting fuel shortages since June, with long queues at filling stations becoming increasingly common in a country that has long enjoyed abundant and inexpensive fuel supplies.
While Ukraine stepped up attacks inside Russia, Moscow continued its bombardment of Ukrainian territory. Russian strikes on the Black Sea port city of Odesa killed one person and wounded 13 others, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The exchange of long-range attacks comes as ground fighting remains largely deadlocked, with Ukraine appearing to have slowed Russia’s summer offensive. Diplomatic efforts led by the United States to broker a ceasefire have also remained stalled.
AFP Ukraine on Saturday intensified its long-range drone campaign against Russia, killing at least eight people after striking logistics hubs belonging to the country’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, in the Moscow and Tambov regions, officials said.
The overnight assault, one of Kyiv’s deadliest cross-border attacks in recent months, also hit an oil depot and triggered massive fires that engulfed the warehouses, sending thick black smoke billowing across the Moscow region for hours.
Authorities in Tambov said seven night-shift workers died when explosive-laden drones struck a Wildberries logistics centre, while Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov confirmed that another victim later died in hospital following a separate strike on a warehouse in Elektrostal.
Nearly 60 people were injured in the attacks and taken to hospital, according to regional officials. Firefighters battled the inferno in Elektrostal for several hours before bringing it under control, while the blaze in Tambov was extinguished later in the day. An empty kindergarten in Elektrostal was also damaged, but no casualties were reported.
Wildberries Chief Executive Officer Tatiana Kim described the attack as a national tragedy.
“It was a terrible night, terrible events for our company and for our country. It is a pain that cannot be put into words,” she said.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defences confronted one of the largest drone offensives yet, with more than 370 Ukrainian drones launched toward the Moscow region overnight. He added that almost 1,900 drones targeting the capital had been intercepted over the past week alone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation was carried out in retaliation for sustained Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. He alleged that the targeted logistics facilities were being used to supply sanctioned components for Russia’s drone production and navigation systems.
“In response to Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities, two major logistics facilities were hit in the Moscow and Tambov regions,” Zelensky said in a post on X.
The latest strikes underscore Kyiv’s expanding strategy of taking the war deep into Russian territory through what it describes as “long-range sanctions.” The campaign has focused heavily on Russia’s energy infrastructure, disrupting fuel supplies across much of the country and exposing vulnerabilities far from the front lines.
Russian regions have faced mounting fuel shortages since June, with long queues at filling stations becoming increasingly common in a country that has long enjoyed abundant and inexpensive fuel supplies.
While Ukraine stepped up attacks inside Russia, Moscow continued its bombardment of Ukrainian territory. Russian strikes on the Black Sea port city of Odesa killed one person and wounded 13 others, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The exchange of long-range attacks comes as ground fighting remains largely deadlocked, with Ukraine appearing to have slowed Russia’s summer offensive. Diplomatic efforts led by the United States to broker a ceasefire have also remained stalled.
AFP