Overnight strikes kill at least 19 in Russia and Ukraine as NATO intercepts drone over Romania

Overnight exchanges

On the night of 15-16 August, Ukraine and Russia traded long-range strikes that killed at least 19 people across both countries, according to the most recent counts from France 24 and Le Soir. Earlier reports gave lower tolls: SudOuest, publishing at 13:36, reported at least 12 dead, while Ouest France at 18:18 gave 16. The figures rose as additional casualties in Donetsk and from an evening strike on Kryvyi Rih were confirmed.

In Russia, a wave of hundreds of Ukrainian drones killed five people in a residential area of the southern Rostov region, governor Yury Slyusar reported on Telegram. Three more were killed across the Belgorod, Kursk and Moscow regions, and four in Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories, according to France 24 and Le Soir. Ouest France and 20minutes reported three rather than four in the occupied territories. Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 822 drones nationwide overnight. Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov called the attack "one of the most massive in recent memory." The mayor of Moscow, cited by Tass via The Guardian, said 600 drones were launched toward the capital region and 200 destroyed over it, making it the largest air attack on Moscow in two years.

Industrial and civilian targets

In Podolsk near Moscow, a new Wildberries e-commerce warehouse was hit. An 18-year-old employee named Béka told AFP: "We were working quietly. The evacuation started, I left. There were bombardments. Many people found themselves without a job." Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed the strike and said it had disabled seven of Wildberries' ten largest logistics centers. The Kyiv Independent noted the company sells military equipment on its website and plays a significant role in Russia's economy.

In Ukraine, Russian drones and missiles killed two people and wounded 14 at an ArcelorMittal steel plant in Kryvyi Rih, one of Ukraine's largest steel producers. The plant said electricity production facilities and blast furnaces were damaged and production partially suspended. A later strike on Kryvyi Rih in the evening killed one more person. Other attacks killed two in Zaporizhzhia, one in Sumy, and one in Donetsk. In Kyiv, three people were injured by a missile and three more, including a child, by drones in the region. The Pochayna open-air book market, known for rare and antique books, was destroyed. Bookseller Dmytro Semenoukha, 45, saw his four stalls burn.

It was a shop here. Books, flags from every country, tons of everything. It's gone.

NATO interception

A Spanish F-18 on NATO air-policing mission shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace from Moldova at 5:01 AM local time. A NATO spokesperson said preliminary information indicated it was a Russian drone. Two F-18s from a Spanish contingent of about 200 personnel and 11 aircraft based in Romania were involved. Debris may have fallen in an uninhabited area near Galati, close to the Ukrainian border.

Zelensky's appeals

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine faced "more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs and 62 missiles" in the past week alone.

Everywhere the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure.

He again called on Western allies to provide more air defense systems. Ukraine faces a shortage of US Patriot interceptors, the only munitions capable of countering Russia's most advanced missiles. The Ukrainian air force recently stopped publishing daily missile interception reports. According to the UN, July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since May 2022, with 437 killed and 2,610 wounded, a 70% increase over July 2025. Russia sent over 9,000 missiles and attack drones against Ukraine that month. Ukrainian forces destroyed 187 of 265 cruise missiles fired, but only 29 of 195 ballistic missiles were intercepted.