Ukraine launched one of the largest aerial attacks of the war overnight, sending hundreds of drones across Russia and killing at least six people, with a major Wildberries warehouse near Moscow catching fire.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed its air defenses destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones during the barrage. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said approximately 600 drones were detected headed toward the Moscow region alone, making it one of the most intense aerial assaults since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Wildberries Warehouse Ablaze in Podolsk
In Podolsk, south of Moscow, a drone struck a Wildberries warehouse in the Koledino Industrial Park, sparking a large fire. Moscow region Governor Andrey Vorobyov confirmed the hit, with footage circulating on social media showing thick black smoke billowing from the facility. An 83-year-old man was also killed after a drone hit a private home in the Moscow region, Vorobyov said.
Wildberries is Russia’s largest online retailer, and the company has now seen multiple warehouses targeted in successive Ukrainian strikes in recent weeks. Previous Wildberries facilities in the Samara region, Leningrad region, and other locations have been hit since mid-July, as Kyiv expands its campaign against economic targets deep inside Russian territory.
Five Killed in Rostov Region
The drone attack also targeted three towns in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, killing five people, according to regional Governor Yury Slyusar. More than 150 drones damaged several homes and a railway station and sparked a forest fire in the region, which borders Ukraine.
The scale of the overnight barrage underscores Ukraine’s growing long-range strike capability. Domestically produced Flamingo cruise missiles, used in earlier strikes on the Roscosmos space center in Samara and the Savasleyka airbase on August 15, are increasingly central to Ukraine’s deep operations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed their use in a statement Saturday.
Russia continues to absorb heavy losses from the aerial campaign. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces have suffered approximately 1,467,320 total casualties since the full-scale invasion began, with 1,510 troops killed or wounded in the past 24 hours alone. The Kremlin has hardened its rejection of peace negotiations ahead of State Duma elections, according to an assessment by the Institute for the Study of War.
Sources: Associated Press; Kyiv Independent; Ukrinform; The Guardian; Institute for the Study of War
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