Massive Drone Attack on Moscow: 19 Dead, 900 Drones Launched
Ukraine launched nearly 900 drones at Russia on Sunday, with around 600 targeting the Moscow region. Russia retaliated with missile strikes on Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Odesa.
Ukraine launched nearly 900 drones at Russia on Sunday, with around 600 targeting the Moscow region. Russia retaliated with missile strikes on Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Odesa.
On the night of August 15-16, 2026, Ukraine carried out one of the largest aerial attacks on Russia since the start of the war, launching nearly 900 drones. According to data reported by G1 Globo, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that 822 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight. At least six people were killed in the attacks on Russian territory, while the total death toll from both sides' strikes reached 19, according to France Info.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that around 600 drones were heading toward the Russian capital, with a third of them destroyed above the Moscow region itself. The region's governor, Andrey Vorobyov, described the attack as "one of the most massive in recent memory."
In the Moscow region, an 83-year-old man was killed after a drone struck a residential building. The attack also sparked a fire at a warehouse of the Russian retail company Wildberries in the city of Podolsk, with Russian media publishing footage of thick black columns of smoke. According to reports, one person was killed and three were injured in the attack on the Moscow area.
In the Rostov region in southwestern Russia, drones struck three cities, killing five people, confirmed Governor Yury Slyusar. More than 150 drones were involved in that attack, damaging homes and a railway station, and sparking a forest fire.
On the same day, Russian forces launched missile strikes on several Ukrainian cities. In Kryvyi Rih, two people were killed and 14 injured, wrote Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on social media. Another person was killed in the city of Sumy.
Kyiv was also targeted in a missile attack. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, fires broke out in at least two districts of the capital. One person was killed and seven injured. In addition to missiles, at least 100 drones were launched at Kyiv. In the Obolon district, a non-residential building caught fire, and in the northern suburbs, several cars were set ablaze. Air raid alerts were activated twice after 2 a.m. local time, each lasting about 30 minutes. Among the affected locations was a market. "The market is completely destroyed. The entire market, from one end to the other. Not a single stall remains," said Oleksandr from Kyiv.
Russia again attacked civilian infrastructure in the Odesa region on Sunday afternoon. Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleg Kiper, reported that a drone strike destroyed two residential buildings. According to preliminary data, three people were injured, but the report was later updated: five people were injured, four of whom were hospitalized, with one in serious condition.
Earlier that day, a Russian drone struck a post office in a shopping center on the outskirts of Odesa, injuring four people. Photos from the scene were taken by AFP photographer Tetiana Dzhafarova.
This year, Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russia using long-range missiles and drone swarms targeting military industry and energy facilities. Large Wildberries distribution centers have also become increasingly frequent targets, with goods worth billions of dollars destroyed. The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for four and a half years since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
