A photo released through the official Telegram channel of Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev shows damage to a building in Elektrostal, Russia, following a Ukrainian drone attack on Saturday, July 18, 2026. Russian officials reported that these attacks resulted in the death of eight individuals and injuries to over 60 others.
Ukrainian forces continue their aerial campaign targeting energy and military infrastructures within Russia. Their strategy aims to disrupt Moscow’s war operations and expose Russians to the consequences of the prolonged invasion of Ukraine, now into its fifth year.
Russian authorities noted that overnight strikes by Ukrainian drones targeted two large warehouses belonging to the major online retailer, Wildberries. One was struck in Kotovsk, Tambov region, around 360 kilometers from the Ukraine border, and the other in Elektrostal, 50 kilometers east of Moscow. Both facilities experienced fires, although the blaze in Kotovsk was extinguished by Saturday morning, according to Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim.
Footage circulated by Russian media captured a significant fire at the Elektrostal location, with towering smoke visible in the images. Another drone attack ignited an oil depot in Noginsk, north of Elektrostal, leading to evacuations of nearby establishments, including a maternity hospital and residential buildings, as reported by Moscow Region Governor Vorobyov.
In a Telegram post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that their long-range operations hit two key logistical sites in Moscow and Tambov. He claimed these locations supplied prohibited components for drones and navigation systems. An additional oil facility was reportedly targeted as well.
Tambov regional governor Yevgeny Pervyshov confirmed the warehouse attack in Kotovsk resulted in seven fatalities among night shift workers and left 25 others injured. A total of 37 individuals sustained injuries in the Moscow region, Governor Vorobyov mentioned, with one later succumbing in the hospital.
In addition, drone wreckage fell on a kindergarten building in Elektrostal, igniting but later extinguished, according to Vorobyov. In Vladimir, a drone attack briefly set a residential building aflame without causing injuries, reported Governor Alexander Avdeyev.
President Zelenskyy also mentioned Ukrainian special operations conducted strikes on targets in the Sea of Azov and occupied territories. Overall, the Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting 379 Ukrainian drones across 19 regions, Crimea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea.