{"id":37236,"date":"2026-08-17T09:17:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T06:17:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=37236"},"modified":"2026-08-17T09:17:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T06:17:34","slug":"ukraine-launches-one-of-its-largest-drone-attacks-on-russia-moscow-intensifies-strikes-on-kyiv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/ukraine-launches-one-of-its-largest-drone-attacks-on-russia-moscow-intensifies-strikes-on-kyiv\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine launches one of its largest drone attacks on Russia, Moscow intensifies strikes on Kyiv"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

6 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine launched one of its largest aerial attacks of the war against Russia on August 16, 2026, with Russian authorities reporting that more than 800 Ukrainian drones were intercepted or destroyed across the country, including hundreds over the Moscow region.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The large-scale attack came as Russia continued its own campaign of missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities, killing civilians and damaging residential and industrial areas. The simultaneous attacks highlight the growing intensity of the long-range air war between the two sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russian authorities said drones were detected over 17 regions, mainly in southern and western Russia. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said about 600 drones targeted the Moscow area, while Russia’s Defense Ministry said 822 drones were destroyed across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said 201 drones were destroyed or neutralized over the region. An 83-year-old man was killed when a drone struck a private home, according to regional authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least five other people were killed in Russia’s southern Rostov region, according to local officials. The scale of the attack made it one of the largest Ukrainian drone operations against Russia since the beginning of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Targets Around Moscow<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Moscow region, which contains many important industrial and logistical facilities, was among the main areas targeted. A major fire broke out at a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, one of Russia’s largest online retailers. The warehouse covered about 250,000 square meters. No casualties were reported at the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Wildberries warehouses in recent months, claiming that the company’s logistics network is used to support Russian military supplies. Ukrainian officials have said seven of the company’s 10 largest logistics centers have been struck.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Smoke<\/a>
Smoke billows from the burning Wildberries warehouses following a Ukrainian drone attack in Koledino, Moscow Region, Russia, on August 16, 2026. (Image Credit: Reuters\/Stinger)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The attacks are part of a broader Ukrainian campaign against military, industrial and logistical facilities deep inside Russian territory. Ukraine has increasingly used long-range drones to strike targets far from the front line, seeking to disrupt Russia’s defense industry, fuel supplies, logistics and other parts of its war economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Rostov region, the Ukrainian military said a defense-industrial facility producing solid rocket propellant for Russian weapons was hit. Russian authorities did not immediately provide details on the reported damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The attacks also reached areas around the Russian capital despite the region having some of the country’s most extensive air-defense systems. Russian officials said air-defense and electronic-warfare units were used to intercept the incoming drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest assault shows how Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign has expanded in scale and geographic reach. Rather than limiting attacks to military positions close to the battlefield, Kyiv has increasingly targeted infrastructure and industrial facilities hundreds of kilometers inside Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Russia Continues Strikes Across Ukraine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Ukrainian drones were hitting targets inside Russia, Russian forces continued their attacks on Ukrainian cities. Kyiv came under a ballistic missile attack early Sunday, with explosions and fires reported in several parts of the capital. A book market was among the locations hit, and emergency crews worked to extinguish fires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said six people were wounded in attacks on Kyiv. Other cities were also targeted. Kremenchuk and Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine were hit by ballistic missiles, while Sumy in northern Ukraine also came under attack.
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Emergency services are working at the sites of the Russian strikes that took place this morning and last night. In Kyiv, the fires were quickly extinguished, and emergency work is now ongoing. The Russians injured six people in the city and the region. Kremenchuk and Kryvyi Rih\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/BVjprWpzQ7<\/a><\/p>— Volodymyr Zelenskyy \/ \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 (@ZelenskyyUa) August 16, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>