Nine killed in escalating long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine

Long-range attacks have killed at least five people in Russia and four in Ukraine, according to local officials, as escalating long-range missile and drone attacks kill a mounting toll of civilians.

A Ukrainian drone struck a warehouse in the Moscow region, killing five people and injuring 10, regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov said on Tuesday. The strike was one of three overnight attacks on warehouses across Russia.

A warehouse belonging to e-commerce giant Wildberries was also struck by drones in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow. Wildberries confirmed that a blaze broke out after another of its warehouses near St Petersburg was attacked.

Kyiv alleges that the online retailer, Russia’s largest, plays a crucial role in Moscow’s war effort by supplying dual-use items that can also be used for military purposes.

The company banned smartphones on Monday, to prevent employees from sharing images or footage that could be analysed by Ukrainian authorities to better bypass Russian air defences near Wildberries’ warehouses. Employees can now only carry phones without cameras.

The Syzran Oil Refinery in Russia’s Samara region was also attacked, triggering a fire.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, at least three people, including two children, were killed in Russian strikes on the northern city of Sumy.

An elderly woman was also killed in an overnight attack on the southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea.

Separately, Russia’s state-run news agency RIA reported that Russian forces struck seven cargo vessels in the city’s port.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that he intended to pressure his counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the conflict before winter. However, he cautioned that his goal might not be achievable, accusing Putin of attempting to “continue dragging out” the war.

The number of non-combatants killed in both Russia and Ukraine is continuing to rise. On Monday, seven people were killed and more than 50 injured when a Ukrainian drone struck a beach in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, near the city of Gelendzhik.

Reports suggest the drone was intercepted, causing it to crash into the beach. Ukraine has not commented on the strike but has repeatedly said it does not deliberately target civilian sites.

In the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, one soldier was arrested after allegedly going on a rampage, killing a colleague and three civilians, Moscow-installed Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said.

“All circumstances and causes of the incident are being established,” he added.

Meanwhile, three people were seriously injured in a drone attack on a Turkish cargo ship in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. All 22 crew members were evacuated following the incident, which was reported by Turkiye’s maritime authority late on Monday.

Turkiye has since called on both Moscow and Kyiv to ensure safe passage in the Black Sea, saying it was seriously concerned about the targeting of civilians in the area despite “all ⁠of our warnings”.