Attack from Ukraine Kills 7 in Russia

Synopsis

In 2026, so far, the Ukrainian drone attack has been labelled as the largest attack launched on Russia. A warehouse belonging to Russian online retailer Wildberries has also been hit in the attack.

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Russia’s Attack on Ukraine

On Sunday, August 16, 2026, Russian air strikes on Ukraine also resulted in the killing of five people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih killed two people and wounded 14 others. He also added that another person was killed in the city of Sumy.

Ukraine’s largest steel producer, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, stated that one of its sites was hit in the missile attack and hence operations had been partially suspended as of now. One of the capital’s largest book markets was also badly damaged after a fire tore through kiosks near the Pochaina metro station.

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In Kyiv, as the Ukrainian capital was attacked by the Russians, air-raid sirens sounded four times over the night. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that six people, including a child, were injured. Russia said its attacks on Kyiv on Saturday, August 15, 2026, night targeted a FirePoint facility producing parts for Ukrainian Flamingo missiles and a factory making components for drones.

Ukraine’s Counterattack

On Sunday, August 17, 2026, Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone attack on Russia, which led to a few deaths on the Russian side, as reported by Russian regional officials.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said that it had destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones overnight. The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, said that around 600 drones were detected to be moving towards the Russian capital.

Regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov said that a Ukrainian drone hit a private house in the Moscow region, leading to the death of an 83-year-old man. In Russia’s southwestern Rostov region, local Governor Yury Slyusar said that five people were killed in a drone attack that targeted three local towns. More than 150 drones were used in the attack, which ended up damaging homes, a railway station and triggering a forest fire.

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Ukraine’s Long- Range Attacks

Ukraine has launched long- range attacks on Russia this year with drones and missiles targeting mainly the Russian military industries and energy facilities. Wildberries, known as Russia's version of Amazon, has also been repeatedly targeted since July.

The strikes have brought the effects of the war closer to the Russian people nearly 4 ½ years after Moscow’s full-fledged attack on Ukraine.

Ukraine’s defence ministry said that its latest attack meant that 7 out of 10 of the Wildberries logistics centres have been disabled so far.