Ukraine drone strikes hit Moscow-area warehouses, oil depot; nine killed

Kyiv,UPDATED: Jul 18, 2026 22:12 IST

Ukrainian drones struck two large warehouses, including one east of Moscow, in attacks overnight and on Saturday afternoon that killed nine people and injured more than 60, Russian officials said. The strikes were part of Kyiv's continued aerial campaign against energy infrastructure and military-linked targets inside Russia as the war entered its fifth year.

Russian officials said the attacks hit two warehouses used by major online retailer Wildberries, an oil depot near Moscow, and other sites. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the long-range strikes hit two "significant logistical facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions" and also struck an oil facility.

According to Russian officials, the two Wildberries warehouses hit overnight were in Kotovsk in the Tambov region, about 360 kilometres from the border with Ukraine, and in Elektrostal, about 50 kilometres east of Moscow. A Ukrainian drone also hit an oil depot in Noginsk, north of Elektrostal, causing a fire and leading to the evacuation of a nearby maternity hospital and a residential building, Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov said. Drone debris also struck a kindergarten building, causing a fire that was later put out, he said.

Tambov region governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said seven night shift workers were killed at the warehouse in Kotovsk and 25 others were injured. Vorobyov said 37 people were injured in the Moscow region, adding that one of them later died in hospital. Local authorities in Belgorod region said one more person was killed and another injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on Saturday afternoon.

Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said both warehouses caught fire and that the blaze in Kotovsk had been put out. Images and videos released by Russian online outlets showed a major fire at the Elektrostal facility, with large plumes of smoke rising above it. In Vladimir, about 180 kilometres east of Moscow, a Ukrainian drone hit a residential building and caused a brief fire, governor Alexander Avdeyev said, adding that there were no casualties.

In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy said: "These facilities were used by the aggressor to supply sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation equipment." He also said Ukrainian special operations carried out strikes against targets in the Sea of Azov and in occupied territory.

Ukraine's General Staff said the fuel depot in Noginsk supplied the Russian armed forces. It also said Ukrainian forces hit two tankers, two floating cranes and a tugboat in the Black and Azov seas, saying 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, which it said Russia uses for military logistics.

Overall, Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 379 Ukrainian drones overnight over 19 Russian regions, as well as illegally annexed Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. The attacks struck warehouses, an oil depot and other sites, and Russian and Ukrainian officials gave differing details on the targets and their military importance.

With PTI Inputs

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