Russian officers say Ukrainian strikes on retailer’s warehouses brought on civilian casualties; Kyiv says services used to supply drones and navigation gear.
Revealed On 18 Jul 2026
Ukrainian drone assaults in western Russia have killed no less than eight individuals and wounded dozens, in accordance with native officers, as Ukraine and Russia proceed to change strikes.
Tambov Governor Evgeniy Pervyshov stated on Saturday that an assault on Kotovsk struck a warehouse owned by Wildberries, Russia’s largest on-line retailer.
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“Seven night-shift staff have been killed when enemy drones struck the Wildberries logistics centre,” Pervyshov wrote on Telegram.
One other 25 individuals have been wounded, together with one individual in crucial situation and 6 severely, with many of the accidents attributable to shrapnel, he stated.
In keeping with the governor, 28 drones had been intercepted. “Had they reached their objective, the variety of civilian casualties might have been a lot increased,” he added.
A separate drone assault in Elektrostal metropolis within the western Moscow area hit one other Wildberries warehouse, killing no less than one individual and wounding 37 individuals, Governor Andrei Vorobyov stated on Telegram. Numerous the injured are in critical situation, he added.
One other drone assault sparked a fireplace at an oil depot in Noginsk, additionally within the Moscow area, wounding two individuals, he stated.
Reporting from Moscow, Al Jazeera’s Dmitry Medvedenko stated Saturday’s loss of life and harm toll was “the very best” in Ukrainian assaults on Russia “in three years”.
In a press release posted on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated the 2 Wildberries warehouses have been “vital logistics services” used to “guarantee the availability of sanctioned elements for the manufacturing of drones and navigation tools”. He additionally stated Ukraine’s medium-range strikes hit targets within the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
The assaults come as Ukraine seeks to step up a campaign to starve Russia’s entrance line of power and weapons, in an try to undermine Moscow’s capability to proceed waging a conflict now in its fifth 12 months.
In the meantime, a “huge” Russian assault on Odesa metropolis’s port infrastructure killed no less than one individual, wounded three and broken services, in accordance with Governor Oleh Kipper.
Russia additionally attacked a vessel flying the Antigua and Barbuda flag, he stated.
The most recent change of assaults comes on the finish of per week of political turmoil in Ukraine, after Zelenzkyy on Wednesday abruptly dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov six months after taking the job.
The 35-year-old had spearheaded the fast growth of Ukraine’s drone business. Fedorov promoted AI-driven drones able to figuring out targets with out sustaining communications that Russia might jam, and expanded using floor robots to ship provides and ammunition and evacuate wounded troopers.
His dismissal prompted protests in Kyiv and different cities on Thursday and Friday.
