At least seven people have been killed in Russia following what officials described as the largest-scale Ukrainian drone assault of the year, as the aerial dimension of the war continues to intensify.
Russian authorities said Ukraine launched 822 drones overnight, with about 600 reportedly directed towards the Moscow region.
The scale of the attack prompted officials to describe it as one of the most extensive drone assaults on the Russian capital in recent memory.
The strikes came as Russia continues to launch heavy missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities.
Moscow Region Hit by Wave of Strikes
The Moscow area was among the main targets of the Ukrainian operation, with a Wildberries warehouse in Koledino, about 25km from central Moscow, hit during the attacks.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said three people were injured in the strike.
Footage from the scene showed flames and a large column of smoke rising above the warehouse.
Wildberries, one of Russia’s biggest online retailers, has been repeatedly targeted since July.
Ukraine has previously said its strikes on logistics facilities were aimed at disrupting supply networks allegedly used to support Russia’s military.
Deaths Reported Across Russian Regions
The governor of Rostov region said five people were killed in overnight attacks, while additional fatalities were reported in Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, and the Moscow region.
The latest casualties highlight the growing reach of Ukrainian drone operations deep inside Russian territory.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have repeatedly accused each other of attacking civilian areas, while each side maintains that its military strikes are directed at legitimate targets linked to the opposing war effort.
Kyiv Also Comes Under Heavy Attack
As Ukrainian drones targeted Russia, Russian forces launched another wave of attacks against Ukraine.
Air-raid sirens sounded four times overnight in Kyiv as the Ukrainian capital came under bombardment. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least six people, including a child, were injured.
Russian authorities said the strikes targeted a FirePoint facility involved in producing components for Ukraine’s Flamingo missiles, as well as a factory manufacturing drone components.
Book Market Left in Ruins
The Russian strikes also damaged a book market in Kyiv’s Pochayna district, leaving burnt books scattered across the area as emergency crews worked to extinguish fires.
The destruction caused significant losses for local traders.
Valentina, whose husband owned a stall at the market, searched through the debris and identified books that had belonged to his business.
“You never think that it will happen to you,” she said while surveying the damage.
Business Owners Count the Cost
Local businesses were among those to suffer substantial losses in the attack.
Luba, a 42-year-old vinyl store owner, said stock worth about 500,000 hryvnias, equivalent to roughly £8,262, had been destroyed.
She described the business as deeply personal and said some of the damaged records were rare and impossible to replace.
The destruction has added another layer of hardship for Ukrainian civilians whose livelihoods have been repeatedly disrupted by the conflict.
Zelensky Reports Intensifying Russian Strikes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the latest escalation formed part of a broader surge in Russian attacks.
According to Zelensky, 13 Ukrainian regions had come under attack during the week, with Russia launching more than 1,550 attack drones, almost 1,560 guided aerial bombs and 62 missiles.
He accused Russia of continuing to strike civilian infrastructure wherever its ballistic missiles can reach.
War Increasingly Dominated by Air Power
The latest exchanges underline how the conflict has increasingly shifted towards long-range aerial warfare.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and currently controls roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
However, neither side has achieved a decisive breakthrough along the extensive front line, where ground fighting has largely become an attritional struggle.
Instead, drones and missiles have become increasingly important weapons, with both countries attempting to damage military capabilities, logistics networks and critical infrastructure far beyond the immediate battlefield.
The latest wave of attacks shows that, despite the absence of a decisive change on the ground, the war continues to expand through increasingly intense strikes from the air.
