A series of overnight Ukrainian drone attacks targeting energy infrastructure and military-linked logistics facilities inside Russia has resulted in at least eight deaths and more than 60 injuries, according to Russian officials. The strikes represent a continuation of Kyiv's long-range aerial campaign, which aims to disrupt Moscow's war effort and bring the reality of the ongoing conflict to Russian territory.
The targets included two sprawling warehouses operated by the online retailer Wildberries. One facility was hit in the town of Kotovsk, located in the Tambov region approximately 220 miles from the Ukrainian border, while the second was struck in Elektrostal, roughly 30 miles east of Moscow. While Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim confirmed that the fire in Kotovsk has been extinguished, footage from the Elektrostal site showed a large blaze and heavy smoke plumes. Yevgeny Pervyshov, the governor of the Tambov region, reported that seven night-shift workers were killed and 25 others were wounded at the Kotovsk warehouse.
In the Moscow region, Governor Andrei Vorobyov stated that 37 people were injured, with one individual later dying in the hospital. Additionally, an oil depot in the city of Noginsk was struck, causing a fire that necessitated the evacuation of a nearby residential building and a maternity hospital. In Elektrostal, drone debris ignited a fire at a kindergarten, which has since been put out. Further east in the city of Vladimir, about 110 miles from Moscow, a drone strike on a residential building caused a fire but resulted in no casualties, according to Governor Alexander Avdeyev.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the strikes on Telegram, identifying them as hits on two significant logistical hubs. He stated that these facilities were utilized by Russia to supply sanctioned components for navigation equipment and drone production. Zelenskyy also confirmed that Ukrainian special operations hit targets in occupied territories and the Sea of Azov. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses intercepted 379 drones across 19 Russian regions, as well as over the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea, and the illegally annexed Crimea.
