Russian officials have reported at least seven fatalities following what they described as the most extensive Ukrainian drone assault of the year. According to Moscow’s regional governor, the capital endured one of its most severe aerial bombardments in recent history, with approximately 600 of the 822 drones deployed targeting the city. Among the damaged sites was a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer.

In a retaliatory escalation, Russian strikes across Ukraine claimed the lives of at least seven civilians and left over 39 injured. Recent weeks have seen a sharp increase in missile attacks by Russia, while Ukraine has intensified its drone operations deep within Russian territory.

Five deaths were confirmed in Rostov, a southwestern Russian region, following overnight strikes. In Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, a woman was killed when a civilian bus was hit, and an 83-year-old man died in a drone attack in the Moscow region, as reported by Governor Andrey Vorobyov. A Wildberries logistics center in Koledino, located 25 kilometers from central Moscow, was struck, injuring three individuals. Footage from the scene showed flames engulfing the facility, with thick plumes of smoke rising into the sky.

Wildberries, often compared to Amazon, has been a frequent target since July. Ukrainian officials stated the attacks aimed to disrupt logistics hubs used by Russians to procure military supplies. The latest strike, according to Ukraine’s defense ministry, has rendered seven of the company’s ten largest distribution centers inoperable.

Both nations continue to accuse each other of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure.

In Ukraine, a guided aerial bomb destroyed a private residence in the Zaporizhzhia region, killing a 66-year-old man and a 64-year-old woman. Two additional fatalities were reported in Kryvyi Rih, a city in Dniproprovsk. Authorities in Sumy, Donetsk, and Kherson also confirmed one death each, including a 51-year-old victim of a drone strike in Sumy.

Kyiv faced repeated air raid alerts overnight as Russian forces launched a series of attacks. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported at least six injuries, including a child. Russian officials claimed the strikes targeted a facility producing components for Ukrainian Flamingo missiles and a drone manufacturing plant.

A book market in Kyiv’s Pochayna district sustained heavy damage. Firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze as charred books lay scattered across the ground. Valentina, a 69-year-old woman whose husband owned a stall at the market, surveyed the wreckage. “All these books in the street were from my husband’s stall—I recognize them on the floor,” she told the BBC. “You never think it will happen to you.”

Luba, a 42-year-old vinyl store owner, estimated her losses at 500,000 hryvnias (£8,262). “This business was my baby,” she said. “Many of the vinyls destroyed were rare and irreplaceable. I want Russia to disappear from this Earth.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that 13 regions had been attacked this week alone, with Russia deploying over 1,550 drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs, and 62 missiles. “Wherever the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure,” he said.

Ukraine has long depended on U.S. supplies of Patriot interceptor missiles to counter Russian ballistic threats. However, Washington has depleted much of its stockpile during conflicts with Iran and remains hesitant to transfer additional systems. After initially suggesting Ukraine could manufacture Patriots under license in early July, U.S. President Donald Trump later denied any agreement to share such advanced technology.

As the war persists, Ukraine has increasingly relied on domestic innovation alongside Western support. Homegrown drones have enabled deep strikes into Russian territory, and former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told CBS News that Ukraine could begin producing its own ballistic missiles within three to six months.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, it has seized control of roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. With neither side making significant gains along the sprawling front lines, the conflict has largely shifted to an aerial war, marked by relentless exchanges of missiles and drones aimed at crippling each nation’s military capabilities.