Ukrainian Forces Press Aerial Campaign Against Russia

In a significant escalation of their aerial campaign, Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone attacks on various targets across Russia, resulting in the deaths of at least nine people and injuring over 80 others.

The attacks, which took place overnight and on Saturday afternoon, targeted two sprawling warehouses belonging to Russia’s major online retailer, Wildberries. One of the warehouses was located in the town of Kotovsk in the Tambov region, approximately 360 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, while the other was situated in the city of Elektrostal, about 50 kilometers east of Moscow.

A Ukrainian drone also struck an oil depot in the city of Noginsk, just north of Elektrostal, sparking a fire and prompting evacuations of a nearby maternity hospital and a residential building. Drone debris also hit a kindergarten building, sparking a fire that has since been put out.

Seven night shift workers were killed at the warehouse in Kotovsk, and 25 others were wounded, according to Tambov regional Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov. A total of 61 people were wounded in the Moscow region, with 20 seeking outpatient care and 40 others hospitalized. One person died of their injuries, Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported.

In the city of Vladimir, some 180 kilometers east of Moscow, a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building, sparking a brief fire. There were no casualties, according to Vladimir Governor Alexander Avdeyev.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in a Telegram post on Saturday that Ukrainian long-range strikes had hit two ‘significant logistical facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions.’ He claimed that these facilities were used by the aggressor to supply sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation equipment.

In a statement on Saturday, Ukraine’s General Staff reported that the fuel depot in Noginsk that was targeted overnight supplied the Russian armed forces. It also reported hitting two tankers, two floating cranes, and a tugboat in the Black and Azov seas, stating that the vessels were used to transport oil, fuel, and military cargo.

Separately, the military said it struck a Project 10410 Svetlyak-class patrol ship in Kerch, describing it as the second vessel of that class hit in two days, as well as a railway bridge over the Bila River near Sabivka in the occupied Luhansk region that it said Russia uses for military logistics.

Overall, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that its air defenses overnight intercepted 379 Ukrainian drones over 19 Russian regions, as well as the illegally annexed Crimea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea.

Key Details and Quotes

• Seven night shift workers were killed at the warehouse in Kotovsk, and 25 others were wounded.
• A total of 61 people were wounded in the Moscow region, with 20 seeking outpatient care and 40 others hospitalized.
• One person died of their injuries, Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian long-range strikes had hit two ‘significant logistical facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions.’
• Ukraine’s General Staff reported that the fuel depot in Noginsk that was targeted overnight supplied the Russian armed forces.