A massive Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Moscow region sparked a major fire at a Wildberries warehouse, sending thick smoke into the sky and killing at least six people across the country, according to Russian authorities.
Russia said Ukraine launched one of its largest overnight drone attacks since the start of the war on August 16, with hundreds of drones targeting Moscow and other parts of the country. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces intercepted or destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said around 600 drones were detected heading towards the capital, while Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said 187 drones were shot down or suppressed over the region.
One of the most prominent incidents occurred in Koledino in the Moscow region, where a large Wildberries distribution warehouse caught fire following the drone attack. Dramatic footage showed thick black smoke rising from the facility as flames spread across parts of the warehouse. Vorobyov confirmed the blaze and said the attack was among the largest drone assaults on the Moscow region in recent memory. Wildberries is Russia’s largest online retailer and operates several major distribution hubs across the country.
The overnight strikes also triggered fires at a pharmaceutical warehouse in Domodedovo and an industrial facility in Voskresensk, according to regional authorities, with several people injured. Vorobyov said an 83-year-old man was killed when a drone struck a private home in the Moscow region. The Rostov region also came under attack, with the drone barrage extending beyond Moscow and killing two people there, according to regional officials.
The attacks caused widespread disruption as emergency services responded to multiple sites simultaneously across several regions, marking one of the most extensive single-night drone campaigns of the war so far.
— Daily Archives, World Desk