World

Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Wave at Russia, Moscow Claims 822 Intercepted

Herz — World Desk · 16 August 2026 at 11:48 · 30s summary · 3 min read

The essentials

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone waves since the war began over the weekend, striking targets across Russia. Russia's Defense Ministry claims to have shot down 822 drones nationwide—a figure that cannot be independently verified. An 83-year-old man died when a drone struck his property near Moscow, with several others injured. A major Wildberries warehouse near Podolsk caught fire following the attack. Simultaneously, Russian missile strikes hit Kyiv, wounding six people and destroying parts of a historic book market. The human toll in Russia's Rostov region remains disputed between sources.

Russia's Defense Ministry claims 822 drones shot down nationwide, unverified independently.
An 83-year-old man died and several were injured near Moscow from drone strikes.
A 200,000-square-meter Wildberries warehouse caught fire near Podolsk.
Russian ballistic missile strikes injured six people in Kyiv.
Casualty figures for Russia's Rostov region vary sharply between sources.

What We Know

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone waves against Russia since the war began over the weekend, according to The Guardian.

Russia's Defense Ministry claims to have shot down 822 drones across the country. Deutsche Welle also reported this figure, which has not been independently verified.

Moscow's Mayor, Sergueï Sobianine, stated that approximately 600 aircraft were heading toward the capital region, with 201 reportedly destroyed.

An 83-year-old man died when a drone struck his property in the Moscow region. Several others were also injured.

A Warehouse Burns Near Moscow

A strike set fire to a Wildberries warehouse—a Russian online retail company—in Koledino, near Podolsk, approximately 40 kilometers from Moscow. Employees evacuated safely, while injuries were reported in Podolsk.

The building covers 200,000 square meters. Photographs show a massive fire with thick black smoke.

Wildberries confirmed the attack and announced it would transfer operations to other sites. The company has faced repeated Ukrainian strikes, with Kyiv accusing it of distributing military equipment.

Over the past month, Ukraine has struck approximately 20 Wildberries buildings and warehouses to damage Russia's economy and inflict financial harm on the population.

In Domodedovo, a pharmaceutical warehouse burned. Homes, a school, and other civilian infrastructure in the Moscow region were damaged; the Kyiv Independent also reported impacts on industrial facilities.

Attacks in the Rostov Region

The Rostov region's governor stated that 150 additional drones had been destroyed.

Russia's Defense Ministry subsequently announced nine cruise missiles and 1,478 Ukrainian drones shot down over the preceding 24 hours. These figures are not independently verified.

Russian Strikes Also Hit Ukraine

According to a single-source report, Russian strikes killed seven people in Ukraine: two in Kryvyï Rih, two in the Sumy region, and three elsewhere.

Shortly before 3 a.m., a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv injured six people and sparked multiple fires. A commercial zone and southern downtown area were struck.

The fires destroyed much of the Petrovka book market in Kyiv's Obolonskyi district. Some booksellers said they lost their entire inventory.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia had launched over 1,550 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs, and 62 missiles against Ukrainian cities and communities during the week.

A Drone Shot Down Over Romania

A Spanish F-18, a multirole American combat aircraft, shot down a drone over Romania during a NATO air surveillance mission. The aircraft had entered from Moldovan airspace.

The drone was detected at 04:44 and shot down at 05:01, likely over an unpopulated area in Galați district.