(MOSCOW REGION) – Ukraine launched one of its largest drone assaults on the Russian capital early on 18th August 2026, with more than 600 unmanned aerial vehicles targeting the Moscow region. Russian authorities reported that nearly 800 drones were launched at 13 different regions across Russia.
At least three people, including a 10-year-old girl, were injured in the Moscow region during the attack. Several fires were reported, including at an aluminium plant.
The Ukrainian defence ministry confirmed that it had targeted logistics centres belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer. The company’s facilities have been repeatedly struck in recent months. According to the Ukrainian defence ministry, Wildberries sells military equipment and drone components that are being used by the Russian army. The financial branch of Wildberries is also under European Union sanctions for financially supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, a Russian missile attack on the Kharkiv region in northeast Ukraine killed at least ten people and injured more than a dozen. Two missile strikes hit a cafe and a post office in the settlement of Paniutyne, close to Kharkiv. The Ukrainian foreign affairs ministry condemned the strikes, stating that they demonstrate Russia is still not ready to agree to a ceasefire.
The attacks come amid ongoing political instability in Ukraine. Protests have continued for a month following President Volodymyr Zelensky’s dismissal of the previous government. Prime Minister Serhiy Koreski has presented a plan of action to the Verkhovna Rada, which reconvened on 18th August after a summer break that drew criticism for occurring during a period of governmental upheaval.
Ukraine currently has temporary appointments for the positions of defence minister and foreign affairs minister, but President Zelensky has not yet submitted formal nominations to parliament for validation.
The temporary defence minister, Yehan Mara, is widely respected as a former head of intelligence and a talented military figure. However, under the Ukrainian constitution, an active military person cannot serve as a government minister.
There is also pressure from the public, with thousands of Ukrainians having taken to the streets over the summer to demand the return of former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
In a related development, Moscow has warned the United Kingdom that it will “pay a price” after reports that British-made drones supplied to Ukraine were used in strikes deep inside Russia. The Russian embassy in London accused the UK of being “an accomplice and a co-perpetrator” in the attacks and of “opting for deliberate escalation.”
The British Ministry of Defence responded that the UK stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Ukraine.
The report was compiled by FRANCE 24 correspondent Emmanuelle Chaze in Kyiv.
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