Ukraine war latest: Ukraine launches one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow Oblast, damaging Wildberries warehouse

Key developments on Aug. 15-16:

• Ukraine launches one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow Oblast, damaging Wildberries warehouse
• Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 7, injure 51 as major steel plant hit in overnight barrage; NATO downs drone over Romania
• Ukraine claims strike on Onyx and Zircon missile launcher in occupied Crimea, shows footage
• Russian attack sets iconic Kyiv book market on fire, injures 3
• Kyiv sanctions Russian vessels, companies linked to exports of stolen Ukrainian grain

Ukrainian forces struck cities across Russia's Moscow Oblast in a major overnight drone attack on Aug. 16, damaging a warehouse belonging to major Russian online retailer Wildberries, Moscow Oblast Governor Andrey Vorobyov claimed.

A fire broke out at the Wildberries warehouse in the village of Koledino near Moscow after it was struck by Ukrainian forces, the governor said. Monitoring channel Exilenova Plus posted footage purportedly showing the attack.

In the city of Domodedovo, the Severnoye Domodedovo production and logistics complex was set ablaze amid the attack, the outlet reported.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed the attack on the Wildberries warehouse, noting that it is the company's largest such facility, at 250,000 square meters.

"Ukraine has taken out of operation seven out of the 10 largest Wildberries logistics centers," the ministry said.

According to Vorobyov, Russian air defenses intercepted 187 Ukrainian drones overnight across Moscow Oblast, including in Domodedovo, Podolsk, Stupino, Odintsovo, Naro-Fominsk, Ramenskoye, Chekhov, Kolomna, Kashira, and Yegoryevsk.

The governor called it "one of the most massive drone attacks (against Moscow Oblast) in recent memory." One person was killed in the attacks, he claimed.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, in turn, claimed that as many as 201 drones were intercepted over the region, alleging that 600 unmanned aerial vehicles were headed toward Moscow Oblast in total.

Attacks were also reported in southwestern Rostov Oblast, with Governor Yuri Slyusar reporting 150 drones and missiles downed over three cities and nine districts. Five people were killed, and one was injured in the attacks, the governor alleged.

Russia's Defense Ministry reported that Russian air defenses intercepted 822 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions. The reported figure would rank among the largest Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory to date.

Ukraine's General Staff reported that its attacks on Rostov Oblast targeted Kombinat Kamensky, a state-owned enterprise that produces solid rocket fuel for the Uragan, Smerch, and Tornado-S rocket launchers.

"The plant's products are directly used to supply the needs of the Russian Armed Forces," the General Staff said on its Telegram channel.

The claims could not be independently verified by the Kyiv Independent.

Russian attacks across Ukraine kill 7, injure 51 as major steel plant hit in overnight barrage; NATO downs drone over Romania

Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least seven civilians and injured 51 others over the past day, regional authorities reported on Aug. 16.

According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia attacked Kyiv, Kremenchuk in Poltava Oblast, and Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with Onyx supersonic anti-ship missiles, ballistic missiles of the Iskander-M, S-400, or North Korean KN-23 model, X-59/69 guided air-to-ground missiles, and 106 long-range attack drones, including Shahed-type drones.

Ukrainian defenses intercepted three X-59/69 missiles and 85 of the 106 drones Russia launched overnight. Russian drones and missiles struck 13 locations, while debris from downed targets fell at three others.

The attack was ongoing as of the time of publication, with several Russian drones still in the Ukrainian airspace.

In Kyiv, three people were injured after a Russian attack overnight, sparking fires across Ukraine's capital, authorities reported.

A fire broke out at a commercial building in the Obolonskyi district, the Kyiv City Military Administration said. Another building was set ablaze in the city's Holosiivskyi district, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported.

In Kryvyi Rih, two people were killed, and 14 were injured in Russian overnight attacks, Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said.

Russian forces attacked two districts of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast more than 20 times with drones, artillery, and missiles, damaging an industrial facility.

A plant of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine's largest steel producer, was hit in the missile attack, killing two people and injuring 13 employees and contractors, the company announced. The plant partially suspended operation as key production facilities were damaged in the attack.

One person was also injured in the Nikopol area, Hanzha added.

During the attack, another drone was shot down over Romania. Romania's Defense Ministry said a Spanish F-18 fighter jet on a NATO air-policing mission downed the drone, which entered Romanian airspace from Moldova, about 24 kilometers (15 miles) north of the Romanian city of Galati. Its origin was not specified.

U.S. Army Colonel Martin O'Donnell, a spokesperson for NATO's military headquarters, said that the incident is under investigation but the "drone appears to be Russian," Reuters reported.

One person was killed, and six were injured in Russian attacks on several settlements in the front-line Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

In Kharkiv Oblast, four people were injured in Russian attacks over the past day, according to Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

In Kherson Oblast, one person was killed, and nine others were injured in Russian attacks targeting residential areas and critical and civilian infrastructure, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. The strikes damaged houses, apartment buildings, a store, agricultural machinery, and cars.

In Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian attacks killed one person and injured eight others, according to Governor Ivan Fedorov. Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces carried out 1,034 strikes on 55 settlements across the oblast.

Two people were killed and two injured overnight in Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast, local authorities said. Houses, non-residential buildings, and civilian infrastructure facilities were destroyed or damaged.

In Odesa Oblast, two people were injured in Russian attacks on Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi, according to Governor Oleh Kiper. The strikes damaged the facades and windows of three five-story residential buildings, as well as the grounds of two inactive businesses.

In Mykolaiv Oblast, two men were injured in a Russian drone attack on a farm in the Bashtanskyi district, Governor Heorhii Reshetilov said. A truck was destroyed, while a warehouse roof, another truck, and a tractor were damaged.

Ukraine claims strike on Onyx and Zircon missile launcher in occupied Crimea, shows footage

Ukrainian forces struck a Russian Bastion coastal defense missile system in occupied Crimea overnight on Aug. 16, the Ukrainian Navy reported.

The system's launch positions and deployment site were hit. According to the Ukrainian Navy, the strike inflicted significant losses in Russian personnel and military equipment. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed.

The Bastion is a relatively rare and expensive coastal defense system that Russia uses to launch Onyx supersonic and Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles at targets in southern Ukrainian regions and elsewhere, often striking civilian areas.

The Ukrainian military also struck a railway bridge near Svitlodolynske in partially occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast that Russian forces use for military logistics and troop movements, the General Staff said.

Ukrainian forces further targeted Russian logistics facilities and ammunition depots in Russian-occupied Karlivka in Donetsk Oblast, according to Kyiv.

Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula under Russian occupation since 2014, has been a key staging ground for Moscow's military operations. Ukrainian forces have increasingly targeted military assets on the peninsula, aiming to degrade Russian air defenses, naval capabilities, and supply routes.

Russian attack sets iconic Kyiv book market on fire, injures 3

Three people were injured after a Russian attack rocked Kyiv overnight on Aug. 16, sparking fires across Ukraine's capital, authorities reported.

Following the attack, a fire broke out at a book market near the Pochaina metro station in Kyiv, Suspilne reported. The blaze destroyed several rows of market stalls, along with books and vendors' property. The attack also damaged the entrance to the metro station and nearby retail outlets.

Publishing house Nash Format said its office near the station was affected as well, with sections of walls blown out in several rooms, the ceiling damaged, and furniture destroyed or knocked out of place.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko also reported fires at non-residential sites in Kyiv's Obolonskyi and Holosiivskyi districts.

Founded in 1997, the Pochaina Book Market was once one of Ukraine's largest book markets and a well-known destination for Kyiv's book enthusiasts, according to Chytomo. It housed hundreds of retail stalls and offered books from more than 120 publishers.

The strike comes amid a broader pattern of Russian attacks targeting Ukraine's publishing and book industry. On Aug. 1, a Russian drone hit a warehouse belonging to the Ukrainian publishing house Ranok in Kharkiv.

Russian attacks destroyed more than 1.5 million Ukrainian books in July alone, according to the Ukrainian Book Institute.

The attacks are also seen as part of Russia's centuries-long efforts to suppress Ukrainian culture and identity. The destruction of Ukrainian-language books represents not only an economic loss but also a blow to Ukraine's cultural identity.

In the city center, a total of four explosions were heard "very loudly" at around 2:50 a.m. local time, according to a Kyiv Independent journalist on the ground.

Six explosions were also heard from the city's Pecherskyi district within three minutes of the air raid sounding, leaving no time to find shelter, another reporter said.

The Air Force earlier in the night warned of the threat of a Russian ballistic missile attack, canceling the warning at 2:35 a.m. Just minutes later, at 2:46 a.m., the threat was declared again.

Further explosions and drones were heard in the city at 9:49 a.m., according to a Kyiv Independent reporter.

Russia regularly launches fatal attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure as it continues to wage its war.

On Aug. 11, Russian forces struck Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv using North Korean ballistic missiles and Zircon cruise missiles, authorities reported. That attack killed seven workers of the Zaporizhstal steel plantand injured a total of 24 in Zaporizhzhia. One more civilian was injured in Kyiv.

Kyiv sanctions Russian vessels, companies linked to exports of stolen Ukrainian grain

President Volodymyr Zelensky imposed new sanctions on individuals and companies illegally exporting grain from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, according to a decree signed Aug. 14.

The sanctions target 11 Russian citizens, 13 vessels, and 28 legal entities, all of which are said to be involved in shipping grain and other stolen goods from occupied regions of Ukraine.

Eight of the vessels are registered in Russia, while the others fly under flags of foreign countries, including Panama, Belize, and St. Kitts and Nevis.

The sanctioned individuals and entities will be subject to asset freezes, trade restrictions, suspension of contracts and licenses, entry bans, and other penalties. Sanctioned vessels are also prohibited from territorial sea, internal waters and ports.

On the same day the sanctions were passed, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) published dataon a number of vessels linked to Russia's so-called shadow fleet, urging international partners to target the ships with sanctions. The list included several of the vessels newly sanctioned by the Ukrainian government.

One such vessel is the Russian bulk carrier Irtysh, which HUR reports loaded more than 32,800 metric tons of grain at the port of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea in January, followed by another 33,100 metric tons of wheat in April.

The open-source research collective Bellingcat previously documented that while traveling to and from occupied Sevastopol, the Irtysh disabled its Automatic Identification System (AIS), which broadcasts a vessel's location and movements.

The vessel is also designated under the European Union's latest package of sanctions against Russia.