Drone strikes kill eight and wound dozens in Russia, officials say
Russian officials reported deaths and fires after overnight strikes, while Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces hit logistics and oil sites.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
2 min read
Overnight drone strikes across Russia killed eight people and injured more than 60, Russian officials said Saturday. The attacks underscored Ukraine’s continued use of long-range drones against sites inside Russia that Kyiv says support Moscow’s war effort.
Russian officials said two large warehouses operated by the online retailer Wildberries were struck, one in Kotovsk in the Tambov region and another in Elektrostal in the Moscow region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that Ukrainian long-range strikes hit two major logistics facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions, as well as an oil facility.
Yevgeny Pervyshov, the governor of Tambov region, said seven night-shift workers were killed at the Kotovsk warehouse and 25 others were wounded. Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said Saturday morning that the fire at the Kotovsk site had been extinguished.
Moscow region Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said 37 people were wounded in his region, including one person who later died in a hospital. Russian online outlets showed images and video of a major fire at the Elektrostal warehouse, with smoke rising above the facility.
Vorobyov said a drone also struck an oil depot in Noginsk, north of Elektrostal, setting off a fire. He said authorities evacuated a nearby maternity hospital and a residential building after the depot was hit.
In Elektrostal, debris from a drone also hit a kindergarten building and started a fire, Vorobyov said. He said that fire was later put out.
Zelenskyy said the targeted logistics sites had been used by Russia to supply sanctioned parts for drone production and navigation equipment. He also said Ukrainian special operations forces carried out strikes in the Sea of Azov and in occupied territory, without giving further details in the account cited.
In the city of Vladimir, about 180 kilometers east of Moscow, Gov. Alexander Avdeyev said a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building and caused a brief fire. He said no casualties were reported there.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted 379 Ukrainian drones overnight. The ministry said the interceptions occurred over 19 Russian regions, as well as Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
Kyiv has expanded an aerial campaign inside Russia against energy infrastructure, logistics facilities and military-linked targets, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian officials have described those strikes as an effort to disrupt Russia’s ability to sustain its invasion and to bring the effects of the war closer to Russian territory.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.