Ukrainian strikes kill 7 warehouse workers, injure more in Russia
Firefighters drive past the smoke of a fire at the Russian e-commerce firm Wildberries' logistics complexes in the town of Elektrostal, Moscow, Russia, July 18, 2026. (AFP Photo)


Waves of Ukrainian drone attacks killed seven warehouse workers and injured at least 25 others, while a separate strike ignited a fire at an oil depot in the Moscow region, Russian regional governors said Saturday.

Tambov Gov. Evgeniy Pervyshov said Ukrainian drones struck a warehouse owned by Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, in the city of Kotovsk, about 475 kilometers (295 miles) southeast of Moscow. The attack killed seven workers and injured 25 others.

"Seven people working the night shift died on the spot," Pervyshov wrote on Telegram, adding that 28 drones also were shot down before reaching the warehouse.

"If they had achieved their goal, the number of civilian casualties could have been much higher," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had struck two logistics facilities used by Russia to supply components for drone production and navigation equipment. An oil facility was also hit, Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Moscow region Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said 24 people were injured in a drone attack on another Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal, a city east of Moscow.

Wildberries co-founder and CEO Tatyana Kim called it a "terrible night" for Russia and the company, offering her condolences to the victims' families.

In the city of Noginsk, also in the Moscow region, falling drone debris sparked a fire at an oil depot, Vorobyov said.

He did not specify the extent of the damage to the facility but said two people were injured in Noginsk and a nearby maternity hospital was evacuated.