(MOSCOW) – A leading Russian newspaper has urged an “urgent, decisive, and systematic response” to escalating Ukrainian drone strikes that are increasingly setting ablaze vast civilian logistics centres across the country.
The call from Yavis Meazetta comes as an analysis of Russian Defence Ministry reports reveals that over 50 Russian regions have been subjected to regular attacks by swarms of 500 to 800 drones since the beginning of 2026. The paper argues a new front has opened in this air war, with warehouses for online retail burning “one after another.” A Wildberries warehouse was reportedly struck on 29 July.
The opinion piece suggests the campaign on marketplaces is designed to destabilise Russia’s consumer market, spur inflation and psychologically traumatise the population, potentially sparking social discontent before upcoming elections. The paper urges immediate assistance for operators of large warehouse complexes, proposing the fortification of flat roofs with sandbagged air defence points, searchlights, large-calibre machine guns and rapid-fire anti-aircraft guns.
Other proposed countermeasures include launch points for drone interceptors, barrage balloons and the creation of trained civilian anti-drone volunteer squads.
In a separate development, the FSB has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities. The newspaper New Visa reports the security service claims the platform fails to remove channels, chats and bots allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence for sabotage, killings and cyber fraud. Muskovski Kamoritz speculates this could lead to Telegram being declared an extremist organisation, criminalising all payments within its ecosystem, including its internal currency, Telegram Stars.
Vietnamasty notes that Roscomnadzor, Russia’s media regulator, began restricting calls via the messenger in August 2025, and the latest charges could tighten restrictions further.
Meanwhile, Russian papers are grappling with a new linguistic challenge: how to transliterate the name of Britain’s new prime minister. While there is consensus on “Andy,” Muskovski Kamolitz notes confusion over “Burnham,” with spellings varying between different vowel combinations. Despite the spelling issue, the papers reportedly agree that the UK government will remain staunchly pro-Ukraine under his leadership.
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