Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted a major Wildberries logistics center in Russia’s Tambov Oblast and one of the country’s largest oil refineries overnight on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Russian authorities had imposed restrictions at Tambov Airport amid the reported drone threat. Local monitoring channels also reported multiple explosions over Kotovsk.
According to OSINT channels citing eyewitnesses, at least 10 explosions were heard around 40 minutes after the initial reports of a drone threat. A large fire was subsequently reported in one of the city’s districts.
Tambov Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov said a drone attack on the city of Kotovsk caused a fire at a Wildberries logistics center.
“The strikes caused a fire at the Wildberries logistics center. The fire covered more than 100,000 square meters,” Pervyshov wrote on Telegram.
The warehouse staff were quickly evacuated, he said, although one employee suffered a concussion in the attack.
Wildberries’ press service said the damaged logistics center had stopped accepting new deliveries.
The Kotovsk facility is one of the company’s key logistics hubs in central Russia. It began operating in 2025 and is expected to eventually have capacity for up to 54 million items.
The Kotovsk Wildberries warehouse was previously targeted on July 18, when seven people were killed and 25 injured, according to Russian authorities.
That strike marked the beginning of a wider campaign of attacks on Wildberries facilities, with 23 of the company’s distribution centers in 16 Russian regions reportedly affected.
Major oil refinery reportedly targeted
The Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, was also reportedly targeted overnight.
Russian independent outlet Astra published eyewitness footage indicating a strike near the refinery. Ukrainian monitoring channels Supernova+ and Exilenova+ also reported the attack.
According to OSINT sources, the attack on Kstovo began at around 3:40 a.m. Kyiv time. Russian residents reported multiple explosions and a large fire near the refinery, with footage of the blaze subsequently appearing online.
The facility is Lukoil’s largest refinery and ranks fourth in Russia by refining capacity and second in gasoline production. It can process around 15 million metric tons of oil annually and produce approximately 5 million tons of gasoline. The refinery also supplies fuel to the Moscow region.
The refinery has reportedly been targeted by drones several times this year, including on July 2, June 24, May 20 and April 5. Operations were reportedly suspended following each attack.
Two killed in Lipetsk region
A separate drone strike was reported in Russia’s Lipetsk region overnight, where a drone crashed into a private house and caused a fire.
Oblast Governor Igor Artamonov said two people were killed – a man and a 14-year-old child – while two women were injured and hospitalized.
Russia claims 426 drones downed
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that air defense systems “intercepted and destroyed” 426 Ukrainian drones between the evening of Aug. 25 and the morning of Aug. 26.
According to the ministry, drones were detected over 15 Russian regions and occupied Crimea, including the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Volgograd and Moscow Oblasts, as well as Krasnodar Krai.
The Russian Defense Ministry’s figures could not be independently verified.
Initially, Ukrainian defense company Fire Point reported that its FP-1 drones simultaneously struck an oil refinery in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region and Wildberries’ largest warehouse in the Tambov region overnight.
Later, Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) reported that Ukrainian forces had struck the fourth-largest oil refinery in Russia.
“Special Operations Forces Deep Strike units, together with the Unmanned Systems Forces and other components of the Defense Forces, successfully struck the Kstovsky Refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia,” the statement reads.
The Special Ops said the refinery accounts for up to 11% of Russia’s gasoline production.
The facility produces gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel, lubricants, fuel oil and liquefied gases. It also supplies the needs of Russia’s Central Military District.
“The Special Operations Forces continue to implement Ukrainian long-range sanctions, returning the war and its consequences to where it came from,” the statement added.
Ukraine’s General Staff also confirmed the strike on Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez in Kstovo.
“The destruction of the target has been confirmed, followed by a fire on the territory of the plant. The extent of the damage is being clarified,” the General Staff said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also reported on Telegram that Ukrainian forces had struck 16 targets in Russia over the course of the day.
“There were long-range responses to oil facilities – the Russian oil purse, which finances the war. Also to airfields, missile units and infrastructure that are constantly used to strike Ukraine. Our sanctions also worked on the military enterprise and Russian logistics,” Zelensky wrote.
He added that Ukraine was responding to Russian strikes in an effort to increase the cost of the war for Russia.
“The war must return to where it came from. We are fairly reducing Russia’s potential for aggression. Thank you to all the soldiers involved for their accuracy!” Zelensky said.