On the night of July 18, Ukrainian forces struck two major logistics facilities in Russia’s Moscow and Tambov regions, as well as an oil facility. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the targets had been used to supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment.
According to the president, the strikes were carried out in response to Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian cities and communities.
One of the logistics facilities was located more than 500 kilometres from the front line, while the other was approximately 700 kilometres away.
Zelenskyy also reported that an oil facility had been hit. Ukrainian forces additionally struck targets in the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, as well as in temporarily occupied Crimea.
The president thanked the personnel of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Special Operations Forces, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Security Service of Ukraine and Defence Intelligence for carrying out the missions.
ASTRA had earlier reported large fires at Wildberries logistics centres in Kotovsk in Russia’s Tambov region and Elektrostal near Moscow, as well as at an oil depot in Noginsk.
According to Russian authorities, seven night-shift employees were killed and another 25 people were injured in the strike on the Wildberries sorting centre in Kotovsk.
A Wildberries warehouse also caught fire in Elektrostal after the attack. Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported that 24 people were injured.
Two more people were injured in Noginsk, where an oil depot caught fire. A nearby maternity hospital and residents of an apartment building were evacuated because of the blaze.
Witnesses said smoke from the fires in Noginsk and Elektrostal could be seen from dozens of kilometres away.
