Ukrainian long-range drones have struck two major logistics centres belonging to Russian online retailer Wildberries, causing extensive fires and casualties in the Moscow and Tambov regions. Kyiv said the facilities were being used to move sanctioned components intended for Russian drone production and navigation systems, while Moscow described them as civilian commercial warehouses.
Deadly strike in Tambov region
The most serious attack hit a Wildberries logistics centre in Kotovsk, in Russia’s Tambov region. Russian regional authorities said seven night-shift employees were killed and 25 others were injured.
Images and videos from the area showed a substantial fire consuming sections of the warehouse complex. Tambov Governor Evgeny Pervyshov said Russian air defences had intercepted 28 drones over the region, although several aircraft reached their targets.
A second Wildberries facility was struck in Elektrostal, east of Moscow. Russian officials reported dozens of injuries and significant damage to the building. Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, expressed condolences to employees and their families.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the two logistics sites had been deliberately targeted. He said they formed part of a supply network handling foreign components for Russian drones and navigation equipment.
Russia has not confirmed that the warehouses stored military goods, and the claims about their use could not be independently verified.
Oil depot burns near Moscow
The wider Ukrainian operation also targeted an oil depot in Noginsk in the Moscow region. The strike ignited storage facilities, injured two people and prompted authorities to evacuate a nearby maternity hospital as a precaution.
Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted 379 Ukrainian drones across 19 regions, occupied Crimea and the surrounding seas. The scale of the operation demonstrated Ukraine’s growing ability to strike logistics and energy targets hundreds of kilometres beyond the border.
Kyiv also reported attacks against Russian maritime logistics in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, as well as damage to a patrol vessel and a railway bridge used to support Russian military operations.
The strikes form part of Ukraine’s strategy of disrupting the supply chains, fuel reserves and transport infrastructure supporting Moscow’s war effort.
Russia launches major attack on Kyiv
Russia responded with an intense missile attack against Kyiv, involving dozens of ballistic and hypersonic weapons. Ukrainian authorities reported at least one death and several injuries after residential and commercial buildings were damaged.
The assault lasted for several hours and caused fires across multiple districts. Damage was also reported at Lukyanivska metro station, which was temporarily closed.
Ukraine has renewed calls for additional Western air-defence systems, warning that its stocks of interceptor missiles remain under severe pressure.
Recovered video shows Monaco bombing
Separately, Ukrainian prosecutors released surveillance footage connected to the attempted assassination of Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Iermolaiev in Monaco on 29 June.
The video reportedly shows a person placing an object near a building entrance before an explosion injures Iermolaiev, his partner and their 13-year-old son. Investigators said the recording had been deleted but was subsequently recovered by specialists from Ukraine’s Security Service.
A woman suspected of planting the device was later found shot dead in Ukraine. Two men, including a Ukrainian military intelligence officer, have been detained in connection with her death. The motive for the Monaco bombing remains under investigation, with authorities in Ukraine, Monaco and France cooperating on the case.
Newshub Editorial in Europe – 19 July 2026

Ask NF GPT
If you have an account with ChatGPT you get deeper explanations,
background and context related to what you are reading.
Recent Comments