Russian officials say the Moscow region was struck overnight by one of the most massive Ukrainian drone attacks in recent memory, killing an 83-year-old man and setting a large warehouse ablaze.
The Moscow region in Russia was targeted by hundreds of Ukrainian drones during the night into Sunday, August 16, DR reports. Regional governor Andrei Vorobyov described the assault as one of the most massive drone attacks in recent memory.
According to Vorobyov, several people in the region were injured and an 83-year-old man was killed. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports that the man died when a drone hit a private house in the Ramensky district, and that six people were injured in the region.
Vorobyov also said a drone impact in the town of Podolsk, south of Moscow, caused a fire at a warehouse belonging to the Russian online retailer Wildberries. RFE/RL places the site in the Koledino industrial park. Ukrainska Pravda, citing the OSINT channel ASTRA, describes it as the company’s largest warehouse, covering more than 200,000 square meters.
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported a sustained drone attack on the capital through the night. Writing on the Russian state-backed messaging service MAX, he said air defenses detected more than 600 drones heading toward Moscow, of which around 200 were shot down in the region. Per RFE/RL, Sobyanin also said three people were injured near the Moscow Ring Road.
Figures for the scale of the attack differ. The Moscow Times cites Russia’s Defense Ministry claiming that 822 Ukrainian drones were downed across the country. No consolidated nationwide casualty toll has been published.
There were reports of strikes elsewhere in Russia. DR, citing BBC, reported that five people were killed overnight in the southern Rostov region, while RFE/RL, citing regional governor Yury Slyusar, reported three killed and one injured. In Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, the governor said one person was killed when a bus was hit.
Russia carried out missile strikes across Ukraine the same night. At least three people were killed and at least 20 injured, according to DR. Air raid sirens sounded in Kyiv shortly before 2 a.m. local time, followed by several explosions.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital was under massive attack with ballistic missiles and urged residents to seek shelter. The strikes started fires in several parts of the city.
Ukraine says its attacks are a response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian towns and infrastructure. Ahram Online links the Wildberries strikes to that stated rationale. Ukrainian forces have repeatedly attacked warehouses connected to the retailer, as noted by Reuters on August 7, 2026.
