Ukrainian drone strikes on Wildberries warehouses kill 8, wound dozens in Moscow and Tambov regions

Overnight strikes

In the early hours of Saturday, July 18, waves of Ukrainian explosive-laden drones struck two logistics warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer. The facilities in Kotovsk (Tambov region, about 475 km southeast of Moscow) and Elektrostal (Moscow region, east of the capital) were hit, killing night-shift workers and igniting large fires. A separate drone attack or falling debris caused a fire at an oil depot in Noginsk, also in the Moscow region. The strikes are part of an intensifying Ukrainian campaign targeting Russian infrastructure far from the front lines.

Casualties and damage

Tambov governor Evgeniy Pervyshov reported that seven employees died at the Kotovsk warehouse and 25 were wounded, most by shrapnel. In Elektrostal, Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov said one person died in hospital and 24 were injured; some were in serious condition. Two more people were wounded at the Noginsk oil depot. Wildberries CEO Tatyana Kim called it "a terrible night" for the company and the country. Firefighters battled the blaze in Elektrostal for hours, while the Tambov fire was extinguished. An empty kindergarten in Elektrostal was also hit without casualties.

Ukraine's justification

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes were retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. He alleged the Wildberries centres were "major logistics facilities" used "to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment." Ukrainian military analyst Serhii Kuzan told the BBC that Wildberries was a vital supplier of dual-use and sanctioned goods to the Russian army. Kyiv has dubbed its campaign "long-range sanctions," aiming to disrupt Russia's military logistics and energy supplies.

These facilities were used by the aggressor to supply sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation equipment.

Russian response and wider strikes

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 370 drones were launched toward the capital region overnight, and nearly 1,892 were intercepted between July 11 and 18. Governor Vorobyov noted that 48 drones were shot down in the Moscow region alone. Meanwhile, Ukraine's general staff reported hitting a fuel depot in Noginsk, two tankers, two floating cranes, and a tugboat in the Black and Azov seas, as well as a Russian patrol ship in Kerch and a railway bridge in occupied Luhansk used for military logistics. Russia later struck Odesa's port infrastructure, killing one person on an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged vessel and wounding three, according to governor Oleh Kiper.

Political turmoil in Kyiv

The strikes came at the end of a week of political upheaval in Ukraine. On Wednesday, President Zelenskyy dismissed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, the 35-year-old architect of Ukraine's drone expansion. Thousands gathered in Kyiv to demand his reinstatement, reflecting tensions over the direction of the war effort.