This photo, released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev’s official telegram channel, shows a building damaged during a Ukrainian drone attack in Elektrostal, Moscow region of Russia, on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vo
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Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vo
According to Russian officials, Ukrainian drone attacks overnight led to eight deaths and injured over 60 individuals in Russia on Saturday.
Ukrainian forces continue their intense aerial campaign against energy infrastructure and military sites in Russia, aiming to weaken Moscow’s military efforts and impact Russian civilians amid the Kremlin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
Russian authorities reported that Ukrainian drones targeted two large warehouses belonging to Wildberries, a prominent online retailer in Russia. One warehouse was in Kotovsk, Tambov region, approximately 360 kilometers from the Ukraine border, while the other was in Elektrostal, about 50 kilometers east of Moscow.
Fires broke out at both locations. Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim announced on Saturday morning that the fire in Kotovsk had been extinguished. Images from Russian media showed a significant blaze at the Elektrostal site, with thick smoke rising above the facility.
In addition, a Ukrainian drone struck an oil depot in Noginsk, north of Elektrostal, igniting a fire and necessitating the evacuation of a nearby maternity hospital and residential building, as reported by Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on Telegram that long-range Ukrainian strikes hit two “significant logistical facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions.” He claimed these sites were used by the aggressor to supply banned components for drone and navigation equipment production. An oil facility was also targeted, he added.
Tambov regional governor Yevgeny Pervyshov reported that seven night shift workers were killed at the Kotovsk warehouse, and 25 others were injured. In the Moscow region, 37 people were wounded, with one later dying in the hospital, according to Vorobyov.
Drone debris in Elektrostal also hit a kindergarten, causing a fire that was subsequently extinguished, Vorobyov stated.
In Vladimir, around 180 kilometers east of Moscow, a Ukrainian drone struck a residential building, sparking a brief fire, said Vladimir governor Alexander Avdeyev, who noted there were no casualties.
Zelenskyy also mentioned that Ukrainian special operations conducted strikes in the Sea of Azov and in occupied territories.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses intercepted 379 Ukrainian drones over 19 Russian regions, including Crimea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea.
