Ukrainian Drone Attacks on Targets in Russia Kill at Least Seven and Injure Dozens

Drones also struck in the Moscow region. In the city of Elektrostal, roughly 50 kilometers east of Moscow, 24 people were injured, some of them seriously, Governor Andrey Vorobyov said. In Noginsk, "in der Stadt Noginsk auf dem Gelände eines Öldepots ein Brand ausgebrochen"; there, "aus Sicherheitsgründen auch eine Geburtsklinik evakuiert werden müssen". The women were transferred to other medical facilities, the governor said. In Noginsk, an apartment building was also evacuated and two injuries were reported.

Attacks in the Moscow Region

According to the company, "auch im Gebiet der russischen Hauptstadt [...] ein Lager von Wildberries getroffen, teilte das Unternehmen mit". Russian air defense said it had shot down "48 Drohnen". These claims could not be independently verified at first: "Die Angaben waren von unabhängiger Seite nicht überprüfbar."

Meanwhile, Russian strikes hit Ukraine. In the Black Sea city of Odesa, one person was killed and three others injured, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper. "Hafeneinrichtungen wie Gebäude, Lagertanks und Lagerhäuser seien beschädigt worden", Kiper said on Telegram. The attack also "ein Schiff unter der Flagge von Antigua und Barbuda getroffen".

Russian Counterattacks on Odesa and Kramatorsk

The eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk was also the target of Russian airstrikes. According to Ukrainian authorities, two people were killed there and at least one other person was injured. The Russian air force had dropped three glide bombs in the attack, it was reported. Kramatorsk lies only about twelve kilometers from the front line; the military governor of the Donetsk region once again called on the population to leave the areas near the front.

In parallel, Ukraine said it had attacked targets in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine also struck a logistics center of the retailer Wildberries in the city of Kotovsk, roughly 500 driving kilometers southeast of Moscow. "Die Logistikzentren seien für die Lieferung sanktionierter Bauteile für die Drohnenproduktion und Navigationsgeräte genutzt worden, teilte der ukrainische Präsident Wolodymyr Selenskyj über den Kurznachrichtendienst Telegram mit." In that attack, more than 60 people were injured, according to authorities.

Background: Drone Warfare and Western Support

The drone attacks on Russian territory are part of Ukraine's counterattacks since the start of Russia's war of aggression. "Die Ukraine verteidigt sich seit mehr als vier Jahren gegen den russischen Angriffskrieg mit westlicher Hilfe", the report states. "Dabei nutzt Kiew für die Gegenangriffe auf russische Ziele vor allem Drohnen." The piece was broadcast on July 18, 2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program.

The casualty figures could not be independently verified at first. Both sides accused each other of attacks on civilian infrastructure; diplomatic steps toward de-escalation were not mentioned in the report. The images from the affected cities — burning warehouses, destroyed port facilities, evacuated apartment blocks — show the escalation of drone warfare far behind the previous front line.