Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked two significant warehouses, including one located to the east of Moscow, overnight and on the afternoon of Saturday, which resulted in the deaths of nine individuals and injuries to over sixty, according to Russian authorities. These strikes are part of Kyiv’s persistent aerial campaign aimed at energy infrastructure and military-related targets inside Russia as the conflict approaches its fifth year.

As per official reports, the attacks impacted two warehouses affiliated with the prominent online retailer Wildberries, an oil depot near Moscow, and several additional locations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy indicated that the long-range assaults targeted “important logistical facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions,” as well as an oil installation.

The affected warehouses were situated in Kotovsk, approximately 360 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, and in Elektrostal, around 50 kilometres east of Moscow. An oil depot in Noginsk, located north of Elektrostal, was also hit by a Ukrainian drone, resulting in a fire and prompting the evacuation of a nearby maternity hospital and a residential building, reported Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov.

Casualties and Damage Reports

Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov of the Tambov region confirmed that seven employees working the night shift were killed at the Kotovsk warehouse, with an additional 25 individuals sustaining injuries. In the Moscow region, Vorobyov stated that 37 individuals were injured, with one succumbing to injuries later in a hospital.

Local authorities in the Belgorod region reported another fatality and one injury linked to a separate drone attack on Saturday afternoon. Tatyana Kim, the founder of Wildberries, confirmed that both warehouses suffered from fires and that the blaze at the Kotovsk facility had been extinguished. Imagery shared by Russian news outlets depicted a significant fire at the Elektrostal warehouse, with thick smoke billowing upwards.

In Vladimir, around 180 kilometres east of Moscow, a Ukrainian drone strike on a residential building led to a brief fire, as indicated by governor Alexander Avdeyev. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties from this incident.

Ukrainian Military Operations and Statements

In a post on Telegram, President Zelenskyy mentioned that the targeted facilities had been utilized by Russian forces to supply banned components necessary for the production of drones and navigation equipment. The President also indicated that Ukrainian special operations had successfully executed strikes on various targets in the Sea of Azov and within occupied territories.

The General Staff of Ukraine reported that the fuel depot in Noginsk was instrumental in supplying the Russian armed forces. In addition, it stated that Ukrainian military operations successfully targeted two tankers, two floating cranes, and a tugboat in the Black and Azov seas, designating these vessels as part of a logistics network for transporting oil, fuel, and military supplies.

Separately, the military confirmed that it had struck a Svetlyak-class patrol ship in Kerch, marking it as the second vessel of this class to be hit within a span of two days. A railway bridge over the Bila River near Sabivka in the occupied Luhansk region, reportedly leveraged by Russia for military logistics, was also targeted.

Overall, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported that its air defence systems intercepted a total of 379 Ukrainian drones overnight across 19 regions, including illegally annexed Crimea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea. Both Russian and Ukrainian officials have reported differing details regarding the targets and their military significance.

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