Ukrainian drones have struck targets across Russia, including oil refineries and logistics facilities in the cities of Perm, Ryazan, and Taganrog, as well as Crimea.
In a July 29 post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said long-range drones hit an oil refinery and a logistics center in Ryazan, which is south of Moscow and around 220 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Ukrainian forces also struck a site in Crimea where the Russian Black Sea fleet’s high-speed boats are based, he said. An oil refinery in the Perm region near the Ural Mountains, and an export terminal and a military manufacturing site in the southern Rostov region were also hit.
Russian regional officials confirmed the strikes.
Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said in a Telegram post that 45 drones had been shot down overnight, with falling debris sparking a fire in an industrial area. A house and a non-residential building were also damaged. Six people were hospitalized, although none had life-threatening injuries.
In Perm, around 990 miles from Ukrainian-held territory, the oblast’s governor, Dmitry Makhonin, said in a post on Telegram that an industrial facility was struck. According to preliminary investigations, there were no casualties. He also said that Russian Ministry of Defense forces had shot down several drones.
Rostov Oblast Governor Yuri Slyusar said in a Telegram post that the region was subjected to a “massive air attack” overnight. He said that Russian forces destroyed about six dozen drones and missiles in the cities of Bataysk, Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, and Taganrog, as well as over the districts of Kamensky, Matveyevo-Kurgansky, Oktyabrsky, Tarasovsky, and Taganrog Bay.
Wildberries
Online retailer Wildberries—Russia’s answer to Amazon—was forced to evacuate its warehouse in Ryazan.
This follows a series of recent drone strikes against the company in which at least seven of its warehouses were damaged, destroying 10 percent of the company’s storage capacity. Tens of thousands of small businesses that sell through the platform have experienced losses, the company and local authorities say.
The Kremlin has denied that Wildberries handles military supplies.
Targeting Ukrainian Ports
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a Telegram post that overnight on July 28 to 29, the country’s armed forces continued attacks on the Ukrainian navy and ports.
Russian forces conducted drone strikes at the Port of Mykolaiv, targeting military cargo storage facilities and tanks, which it said were carrying fuel and lubricants intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the ministry said.
The night before, Russian drones had also struck two cargo ships delivering military equipment and weapons to the ports of Chornomorsk and Odesa, it said.
Drones Over Romania
Drone warfare has become a major component of combat for both Moscow and Kyiv. Both sides have been accused of entering or unintentionally straying into NATO territory.
Moscow has denied violating Romanian airspace.
On July 28, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the accusations about Russian drones were baseless and denounced the expulsion of the diplomat.
Writing on the ministry’s website, Zakharova said the events and “accompanying propaganda campaign are evidence of the Romanian leadership’s attempt to cover up the disastrous consequences of their irresponsible policy of supporting the Kiev regime.”
“Bucharest’s unfriendly actions will receive an appropriate response,” she wrote.
