At least seven people have been killed in Russia following what Russian officials described as Ukraine’s largest drone attack of the year, with hundreds of drones reportedly targeting Moscow and other regions.
Russian authorities said Ukraine launched about 822 drones during the overnight assault, including around 600 directed towards the Moscow region.
The attack was described as one of the most intense drone assaults on the Russian capital in recent memory.
Five people were killed in the southern Rostov region, according to its governor.
In Belgorod, a woman died after a civilian bus was hit, while an 83-year-old man was killed in a drone strike in the Moscow region.
A warehouse operated by Russian online retailer Wildberries in Koledino, about 25km from central Moscow, was also struck.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said three people were injured in the incident, while videos showed the facility engulfed in flames and covered by thick smoke.
Wildberries, often compared to Amazon because of its size and reach in Russia, has been targeted several times since July.
Ukraine previously said its strikes were aimed at logistics centres allegedly being used to facilitate the purchase and delivery of military equipment to Russian forces.
Ukraine’s defence ministry said the latest strikes had disabled seven of Wildberries’ 10 largest logistics centres.
The latest Russian casualties came as Moscow continued its attacks on Ukrainian territory, with at least seven people reported killed and more than 39 injured.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, a 66-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman were killed when a private home was struck by a guided aerial bomb.
Two other people died in Kryvyi Rih, while officials reported additional fatalities in Sumy, Donetsk and Kherson.
In Sumy, a 51-year-old person was killed in a drone attack, according to local officials.
Kyiv also came under attack, with air-raid sirens sounding four times during the night.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least six people, including a child, were injured.
Russia said its strikes on the Ukrainian capital targeted a FirePoint facility involved in producing components for Ukraine’s Flamingo missiles, as well as a factory manufacturing drone parts.
A book market in Kyiv’s Pochayna district was damaged during the strikes, leaving books scattered and burnt across the area.
Valentina, whose husband owned a stall at the market, told the BBC, “All these books in the street were from my husband’s stall in the market – I recognise them on the floor.”
She added, “You never think that it will happen to you.”
Luba, a 42-year-old vinyl store owner, said she had lost stock worth 500,000 hryvnias (£8,262).
“This business was my baby – many of the vinyls destroyed were rare and irreplaceable,” she told the BBC. “I want Russia to disappear from this Earth.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 13 regions had been attacked during the week, claiming Russia had launched more than 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs and 62 missiles.
“Wherever the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure,” he said.
Ukraine has increasingly relied on domestically produced drones to strike targets deep inside Russia, while continuing to depend on Western air-defence systems, including US-made Patriot interceptors, to defend against Russian missile attacks.
Former Ukrainian Defence Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov also told CBS News that Ukraine could be capable of launching domestically produced ballistic missiles against Russia within three to six months.
The war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has largely developed into an aerial campaign alongside a grinding ground offensive.
Both countries have increasingly used missiles and drones to strike infrastructure and military-related targets deep behind enemy lines.
