Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouse and Lukoil Refinery in Overnight Wave

Destruction of the Kotovsk logistics facility

Ukrainian drones struck a distribution warehouse operated by e-commerce retailer Wildberries in Kotovsk, located in the Tambov region approximately 500 kilometers southeast of Moscow. Tambov Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov reported that the overnight strike ignited a fire that engulfed over 100,000 square meters, an area equivalent to roughly 14 soccer pitches. Evacuation procedures cleared the facility, though one warehouse employee sustained a concussion caused by the explosive shockwave. Wildberries management subsequently confirmed the suspension of goods intake at the damaged site. The strike represents the second drone incident at the Kotovsk facility, following an earlier attack recorded on 18 July.

According to preliminary information, a Wildberries employee was injured, having suffered a concussion from the shockwave.

Strikes on energy infrastructure and air defense actions

In addition to commercial logistics centers, the overnight drone wave targeted key Russian fuel and refining assets. In Kstovo, located within the Nizhny Novgorod region, drones hit the Nizhny Novgorodnaftaneftekhim refinery operated by Lukoil, causing a fire at the complex. The Kstovo facility serves as a primary refining hub for the company, possessing an annual processing capacity of approximately 15 million tons of crude oil and a production output of up to 5 million tons of gasoline. The strike followed another fire on the night between 25 and 26 August at the Afipsky oil refinery in the southern Krasnodar territory.

The Russian Ministry of Defence stated that air defense units intercepted and destroyed 426 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight. In Sevastopol, Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev reported that Russian forces shot down three Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missiles over the Black Sea. The widespread drone incursions led civil aviation authorities to suspend flight operations at regional airports in Tambov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Yaroslavl, while Moscow was also targeted.

Casualties across border and central regions

Falling wreckage and direct drone impacts caused fatal casualties and injuries across several residential areas in western Russia. In the Lipetsk district, a falling drone hit a private residential building and ignited a fatal fire. Lipetsk Governor Igor Artamonov reported that two residents died inside the house, identifying the victims as an adult man and a 14-year-old youth. Emergency medical personnel treated two women injured at the scene. In the Belgorod region along the Ukrainian border, local officials reported that a separate drone attack killed one woman.

In the Lipetsk district, a private house caught fire following the crash of a drone. Unfortunately, two people died: a man and a 14-year-old.

Strategy against commercial supply chains

The strike in Kotovsk forms part of a broader Ukrainian campaign aimed at degrading Russian commercial distribution networks and e-commerce infrastructure. Ukrainian forces began targeting Wildberries facilities in mid-July, hitting the company's largest logistics hub in the Moscow region on 16 August, before expanding operations to include facilities operated by competitor Ozon. Wildberries and Ozon represent key pillars of the Russian online retail market, which has remained one of the few growing economic sectors during four and a half years of war. Ukrainian military officials stated that targeting these logistics hubs aims to disrupt transportation networks that support the Russian war effort.