At least five people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes across several Russian regions overnight, with attacks hitting residential buildings, industrial facilities and another warehouse operated by Wildberries, Russia’s largest online marketplace, according to local officials. The strikes came as Russia claimed its air defences intercepted hundreds of Ukrainian drones.

The latest cross-border exchanges also saw Russia launch 133 drones at Ukraine during the night, while subsequent attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv killed at least two people. The renewed assaults caused damage to civilian infrastructure on both sides as the conflict continued to intensify.

Russia Reports Widespread Ukrainian Drone Attacks

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defence systems destroyed 635 Ukrainian drones overnight, including aircraft over occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov Seas. The ministry, however, did not disclose how many drones Ukraine had launched in total or how many succeeded in striking their intended targets.

In the Samara region, Ukrainian drones struck a Wildberries warehouse located around 800 kilometres from the Russia-Ukraine border. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said the attack sparked a fire but did not result in any casualties.

Wildberries, often regarded as Russia’s equivalent of Amazon, has been repeatedly targeted during Ukraine’s aerial campaign. Over the past two weeks, more than a dozen of the retailer’s depots have come under attack. The first strikes hit facilities in Elektrostal, east of Moscow, and the Tambov region on July 18, before expanding to warehouses across western and southern Russia as well as Russian-controlled Crimea. Those attacks have reportedly killed at least nine people and injured dozens.

Civilian Casualties Reported in Multiple Russian Regions

In the neighbouring Saratov region, two people were killed after a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building, Governor Roman Busargin said. The attack also damaged civilian infrastructure in both Engels and the regional capital, Saratov.

Engels, which hosts a military airbase, and Saratov, home to a major oil refinery, have frequently been targeted during the conflict.

Further north, Bashkortostan Governor Radiy Khabirov said air defence systems repelled what he described as a large-scale drone attack on industrial facilities in the city of Ufa. While he did not identify the affected sites, he confirmed that firefighters were responding to a blaze.

In the Udmurt Republic, acting regional head Olga Abramova said three civilians were killed and two others injured in a Ukrainian drone strike. She added that Russian air defences intercepted two Ukrainian drones and “prevented an attempted attack” by Kyiv. A civilian vehicle was also damaged, although it remained unclear whether falling drone debris caused the impact.

Russian Strikes Kill Two in Ukraine

Ukraine also faced fresh overnight attacks, with the Ukrainian Air Force reporting that Russia launched 133 drones. According to the military, 24 of them struck their targets.

In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, one person was killed after a Russian guided bomb struck a residential building, local administration head Ivan Fedorov said.

A separate Russian attack later claimed another life on the outskirts of Kharkiv, where a postal terminal caught fire following the strike, according to regional administration head Oleh Syniehubov.

The latest wave of attacks left at least five people dead in Russia and at least two in Ukraine, while causing damage to warehouses, industrial facilities and other civilian infrastructure on both sides of the border.

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