At least six people were killed overnight in Russia after Ukrainian drones struck several areas, Russian authorities said. A fire also broke out at a 200,000 sq metre Wildberries distribution warehouse in Podolsk, south of Moscow.
Russia’s defence ministry said it had destroyed 822 drones, while Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 600 drones had been heading towards the capital region and 201 were destroyed. Sobyanin described the assault as the biggest air raid on Moscow in two years.
What happened near Moscow
Photographs showed a blaze apparently engulfing the Wildberries warehouse, with black smoke rising above the site. Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyov called the assault one of the most massive drone attacks in recent memory.
One person was reported dead in the Moscow area. Five others were reported killed in the southern Rostov region, which borders Ukraine; the regional governor said 150 incoming drones had been destroyed.
Related coverage: Deadly Russian and Ukrainian strikes deepen war’s toll.
The reported scale remains disputed
The Russian defence ministry later said that nine Ukrainian cruise missiles and 1,478 drones had been shot down during the previous 24 hours. That larger figure could not be independently verified.
The attack may have been Ukraine’s largest wave since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, according to the source material, although the comparison is based on the rapid expansion of Ukraine’s drone capabilities and has not been independently established.
Strikes also hit Ukraine and Romania
Russian drone and missile attacks killed seven people in Ukraine, including two in Kryvyi Rih, according to Ukrainian authorities. Two people were killed in the Sumy region and three others elsewhere. A ballistic missile attack on Kyiv shortly before 3am injured six and started several fires.
More context: Kyiv court detains organiser of weapons expo hit by Russian missile attack.
The attacks also destroyed much of Kyiv’s Petrovka book market in the Obolonskyi district. Some booksellers said they had lost their entire stock. A Spanish F-18 operating on a Nato patrol shot down what appeared to be a Russian drone after it crossed into Romanian airspace at about 5am; a Nato military spokesperson said the drone appeared to be Russian.
Why the attacks matter
Ukraine expanded its long-range drone and missile capabilities in 2026, enabling strikes on warehouses, oil refineries, ports and military facilities at distances of up to 1,500 miles from its border. Ukrainian attacks over the past month have hit about 20 Wildberries-linked warehouses and buildings, according to the source material.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had launched more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs and 62 missiles at Ukrainian cities and communities during the previous week. Ukraine is effective against slower drones but has limited defence against high-speed ballistic missiles, while its US-made Patriot interceptor stocks have been reduced.
Also read: Deadly Russian attack hits Zaporizhzhia steel plant.
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