MOSCOW: Waves of Ukrainian explosive-laden drones on Saturday pounded e-commerce warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, killing eight people and causing large fires that blackened the skies with thick smoke for hours.
Kyiv has in recent months intensified its strikes on Russian territory, disrupting the lives of ordinary Russians — strikes it calls retribution for more than four years of bombardments against its territory.
The campaign, which Kyiv calls “long-range sanctions”, has mostly targeted Russia’s oil infrastructure and triggered a full-blown fuel crisis in one of the world’s biggest oil-producing countries.
This time, Ukraine struck two key warehouses of Russia’s biggest online retailer Wildberries, killing eight night-shift workers and sparking fires that all but destroyed the facilities. “A terrible night, terrible events for our company and for our country. It is a pain that cannot be put into words,” said Wildberries CEO Tatiana Kim.
Moscow endures fuel shortages
A journalist saw thick black smoke rising over the Moscow region on Saturday morning, which lingered until at least late afternoon. “Seven night-shift employees were killed when enemy UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) hit a Wildberries logistics centre,” said Evgeny Pervyshov, the governor of the Tambov region, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) southeast of Moscow.
In the Moscow region — where an oil depot was struck in addition to another Wildberries warehouse — one person died in hospital, said regional governor Andrei Vorobyov.
Firefighters were still battling the blaze in the Moscow region’s Elektrostal, while the fire in Tambov had been extinguished, regional authorities said. In Elektrostal, an empty kindergarten was also hit, without any casualties, added Vorobyov. Almost 60 people were wounded in the attacks on the two regions and taken to hospital, authorities said.
More than 370 drones were launched toward the Moscow region overnight, said the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin. Between July 11 and 18, almost 1,892 Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow were intercepted, he added.
Fuel shortages
Russian couple Yelena and Dmitry passed four petrol stations before finally finding one that actually had fuel as they returned to the city of Vologda, some 300 miles (480 kilometres) north of Moscow, from their country allotment plot.
Like all but a few Russian regions, Vologda is suffering from fuel shortages, as intensifying Ukrainian strikes on Russian depots disrupt ordinary life more than at any point since the conflict began in 2022.
The crisis is unprecedented in Russia — one of the world’s top oil producers — where fuel had until now been readily available and far cheaper than in Europe. But for several weeks, queuing for petrol has become a staple of life during the dragging Ukraine conflict, causing impatience at petrol stations.
“What a horrible situation,” fumed Yelena, as the couple waited in their car. “Now we wait. We’ll see if there’s any petrol left.” The Kremlin has downplayed the crisis, saying it was not critical, with President Vladimir Putin warning Ukraine was trying to divide Russians and cause panic. But, far from the corridors of power, drivers were unhappy.
Cars are the main mode of transport in most regions of the world’s largest country, where distances to cover are huge. Since June, more than 90 percent of Russian regions have experienced fuel rationing or shortages, according to a tally based on media reports and official statements.
Some petrol stations in Vologda were closed while others — mostly owned by Russia’s main oil giants — saw drivers clustered in long queues.
Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2026