Russian officials said Ukrainian forces launched hundreds of drones deep into the country overnight, killing two people, striking a Wildberries warehouse and targeting industrial facilities as Kyiv widened its campaign against Russian economic and energy infrastructure.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Ukrainian drone attacks struck several Russian regions overnight, killing at least two people, damaging civilian and industrial sites and igniting a fire at a warehouse operated by the country’s largest online retailer, regional officials said Sunday.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted 635 Ukrainian drones during the nighttime assault, which reached areas along the Volga River and other locations hundreds of miles from Ukraine’s most advanced military positions.
In the Samara region, drones hit a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, a major online retailer frequently described as Russia’s equivalent of Amazon. Samara Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said the facility was approximately 800 kilometers, or 500 miles, from Ukraine’s forward military positions.
A fire broke out at the warehouse following the strike, but Fedorishchev said crews were working to extinguish it and no casualties had been reported.
The attack was part of Ukraine’s expanding campaign against Russian commercial, industrial and energy targets as Kyiv attempts to weaken Moscow’s ability to sustain a war that has continued for more than four years. Ukrainian forces have attacked approximately a dozen Wildberries locations since July 18 in an effort to disrupt a company that plays a central role in Russia’s consumer economy.
A separate drone strike hit a residential building in Engels, a city in the neighboring Saratov region, killing two people, according to Gov. Roman Busargin. He said civilian infrastructure was damaged in both Engels and Saratov.
The two cities have repeatedly been targeted by Ukrainian forces in recent years. Saratov is home to a major oil refinery, while Engels hosts a military air base.
Farther east, Bashkortostan Gov. Radiy Khabirov said Russian air-defense forces repelled what he described as a large-scale drone assault directed at industrial facilities in the region. One drone was shot down over an industrial section of Ufa, the regional capital, where a fire was being brought under control, he said.
The attacks inside Russia followed a major Russian missile and drone operation against Ukraine on Saturday that renewed President Volodymyr Zelensky’s calls for additional American-made Patriot missile interceptors.
Zelensky said Russian forces launched 35 missiles and 185 attack drones, concentrating much of the attack on Kyiv while also striking Dnipro, Sumy and Kharkiv.
“Only one ballistic missile was intercepted, simply because there are no interceptors for the Patriot systems,” Zelensky said on X, as he pressed the United States to provide more Patriot missiles.
The shortage “only encourages Russia to launch such attacks that take human lives,” Zelensky said.
Video recorded in Kyiv showed large explosions striking the city during the assault. Zelensky said the bombardment damaged residential, diplomatic, educational and infrastructure sites.
“Eighteen residential buildings, a school, the Lithuanian Embassy, and infrastructure facilities were damaged,” Zelensky said.
At least nine people were killed and dozens of others were injured, according to his statement.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has continued offensive operations against Russian shipping, oil-processing facilities and other energy infrastructure.
Zelensky posted video on X that he said confirmed the sinking of the sanctioned container ship Yanina, which had a capacity exceeding 100,000 tons. He said the vessel was “sent to the bottom.”
“Also overnight, Security Service of Ukraine units struck the infrastructure of three Russian oil refineries in Bashkortostan. The targets were nearly 1,600 kilometers away. These refineries process millions of tons of oil each year,” Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian president also announced Friday that he had spoken with Vice President JD Vance to continue discussions that followed a recent meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington.
Zelensky described that meeting as “positive and productive” and again identified obtaining more Patriot missile interceptors as a “top priority.”
Trump, however, expressed caution Friday afternoon about transferring sophisticated American weapons technology to another country.
“I gave them the javelins. The javelins are unbelievable,” Trump said. “We have to be very careful about giving out the secrets to those weapons.”
Original article
Comments