Ukraine conducted one of the war's largest overnight drone raids, and Russian officials said at least six people were killed while claiming 822 drones were destroyed. Moscow reported roughly 600 drones targeted the capital, and Ukraine said it had aimed at a rocket-fuel plant. Strikes damaged a Wildberries warehouse in Podolsk; Kyiv has repeatedly targeted Wildberries logistics hubs. Russia responded with heavy strikes inside Ukraine, including damage at the ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih steel plant.
One of War’s Largest Drone Raids: Ukraine Strikes Deep Inside Russia, At Least Six Killed
People spend time near the river as a helicopter collects water to extinguish the fire that broke out in a distribution warehouse near Moscow, Russia, after Ukraine's drone attack on Aug. 16, 2026. —Stringer/Anadolu—Getty Images
Ukraine launched one of the largest drone assaults of the war overnight, striking targets deep inside Russia and, according to Russian officials, killing at least six people.
Russia's Defence Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 822 unmanned aerial vehicles. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram that at least 600 drones were launched toward the capital and that more than a third were shot down before reaching the city.
The raid highlighted rapid improvements in Ukraine's drone and missile capabilities, enabling strikes far inside Russian territory despite Moscow's layered air-defence networks.
Casualties, Targets and Damage
Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov described the assault as one of the "most massive drone attacks in recent memory," saying an 83-year-old man died after a drone struck a private home. Rostov region Governor Yury Slyusar reported five additional fatalities in his region. Ukrainian authorities said they had been targeting a factory that produces rocket fuel.
Vorobyov also reported injuries and fires in the Podolsk area after drones struck a warehouse owned by Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Wildberries facilities, accusing some locations of handling military-linked cargo. Kyiv's Ministry of Defense posted that seven of Wildberries' ten largest logistics hubs had been put out of operation; Wildberries and Russian officials deny any military affiliation.
Cross-Strikes and Wider Impact
Russia carried out heavy retaliatory strikes over the weekend. At the ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih steel plant in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown, two people were reported killed and 13 employees injured; the company said blast-furnace and energy production facilities suffered damage that partially halted production. Regional Ukrainian authorities reported that, overall, at least seven people were killed and 51 injured in Russian strikes across the country during the same period.
President Zelenskyy wrote on the platform Xin that "wherever the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure," underscoring the danger to population centers and industry alike.
Regional and NATO Responses
A NATO jet on an air-policing mission shot down an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle over Romanian airspace—the fourth drone downed over Romania this year, the Romanian Defence Ministry said—adding that the aircraft had entered from Moldova but not identifying its origin.
The weekend's exchanges illustrate Kyiv's growing capacity to project force deep into Russian territory—distances reported up to about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from the shared border—and the continuing pressure on air-defence systems. Ukrainian officials have increasingly emphasized efforts to rely less on Western assistance while warning of shortages of key interceptors, including Patriot missiles supplied by the United States.
Note: Casualty and damage figures are from Russian and Ukrainian official statements and regional authorities and have not been independently verified.
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