Russia said on Wednesday it had hit what it described as a defence-industry gathering near Kyiv, arguing the venue had been used to showcase drone technology that Moscow claims has been deployed against civilians inside Russia.
“The site was hosting a demonstration of Ukrainian and foreign-made unmanned aerial vehicles, including future models, used to strike civilian targets within Russian territory,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement on Telegram.
As fighting continued across the region, a Russian aerial bomb attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk killed five people and left nine others wounded, according to the regional governor.
Aerial bombs damaged 10 private houses, a business, and the premises of the Latvian consulate, Governor Vadym Filashkin said on the Telegram messaging app.
Inside Russia, officials in the Kirov region reported casualties after what they said was a Ukrainian strike far from the front line. The attack killed six people and injured 26 in Kirov, more than 1,000km behind the front, the governor said, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces had struck a military facility in the city.
“As a result of an attack by Kyiv … unfortunately, 32 people were affected. Of these, six people died at the scene,” Kirov regional governor Alexander Sokolov said on social media.
Wildberries warehouses targeted again
Ukraine said it hit the warehouses of Wildberries — Russia’s largest online retailer and often likened in Moscow to Amazon — again on Wednesday, marking the third strike this week on sites linked to the e-commerce giant.
Kyiv accuses the e-commerce giant, which employs thousands of people and has become a key part of the economy, of storing drone parts and helping the Russian army.
Kyiv hit Wildberries warehouses outside Saint Petersburg and in Moscow-annexed Crimea today.
After the attacks, Zelensky said Kyiv had struck “logistics hubs involved in supplying the Russian army with drone components, navigation equipment and other gear.”
Wildberries employs tens of thousands of people across Russia, with warehouses and pickup locations all over the massive country – reaching even remote areas of Russia.
The company has an important role in the Russian economy, with small and medium businesses relying on the courier services.
The attacks come as Russian businesses are struggling with limited internet, tax hikes and fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian strikes
Romania shoots down drone breaching its airspace
The drone was shot down by a Romanian Air Force F-16 jet (file pic)
Romania downed a drone that entered its airspace on Wednesday, President Nicusor Dan said, in what he described as the first such shoot-down since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The drone was shot down around 114km from Bucharest, according to the defence ministry of the NATO member bordering Ukraine.
“We had a drone in our airspace. It was shot down a few minutes ago, around 11am (9am Irish time) by a Romanian pilot flying an F-16,” President Nicusor Dan told a press conference.
“It’s important to note that the area was uninhabited, which is why the pilot was able to fire from above, and now teams from various institutions are investigating to provide all the details about the incident,” he added.
The drone was shot down over the village of Padina, the defence ministry said.
Surveillance systems first detected an aerial target at 9:39am (local time) and two Eurofighter Typhoon jets of the Italian Air Force and two F-16 fighter jets of the Romanian Air Force were sent to monitor the situation.
“At 11:02, a Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft engaged the target and shot it down,” the defence ministry said.
Romania has not yet identified the origin or purpose of the drone shot down but it appeared to be a Shahed, the army’s chief of staff said.
“Visually, the pilots reported the drone looked to be a Shahed type,” the Army’s Chief of Staff Gheorghita Vlad told reporters, adding it was too soon to draw conclusions.
Romania, which shares a 650km (400-mile) land border with Ukraine, has reported multiple breaches of its airspace by Russian drones since Moscow began attacking Ukrainian ports across the Danube River following its full-scale invasion in 2022.
In late May, a drone crashed into an apartment building in the town of Galati, near the Ukrainian border, injuring two people, the first time a strike had hit a densely populated area in a NATO country and caused injuries during the Ukraine war.
