Ukraine, Russia trade major drone and missile strikes as war enters fifth year

Abi Sarabia M., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
August 17, 2026

Photo courtesy: Reuters

Ukraine fired hundreds of drones at targets across Russia on Sunday, in one of the biggest aerial attacks since the war started. 

At least six people were killed. Russia, in turn, struck Ukrainian cities and killed at least five people, with the attacks starting fires that burned through one of Kyiv’s biggest book markets.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it shot down 822 Ukrainian drones overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said around 600 drones were headed toward the Russian capital, and about a third of these were intercepted over the Moscow region.

In the Moscow region, an 83-year-old man died after a Ukrainian drone hit a private home, according to local Governor Andrey Vorobyov. He also confirmed that a Ukrainian attack started a fire at a warehouse owned by Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer, in the town of Podolsk.

In a separate attack, more than 150 drones hit three towns in Russia’s Rostov region, killing five people, said local Governor Yury Slyusar. The attack damaged homes and a railway station, and started a forest fire.

These strikes are part of Ukraine’s continued strategy this year of using long-range missiles and drone swarms to hit Russian military factories, energy facilities, and supply lines. 

Ukrainian forces have hit Wildberries warehouses several times in recent months, destroying what officials say is billions of dollars’ worth of goods. This brings the cost of the war closer to home for ordinary Russians, nearly four and a half years since Moscow’s full invasion began.

Russian strikes kill five in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media Sunday that a Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih killed two people and wounded 14 others. He said one more person died in the city of Sumy.

ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, described as Ukraine’s largest steel producer, confirmed that one of its sites was hit in the missile attack, and that some of its operations had to be stopped.

In Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, a man and a woman died when their home was hit by a Russian strike, said Ivan Fedorov, head of the local military administration.

In Kyiv, Russian attacks started fires across the capital and wounded six people. One fire tore through a large book market near the Pochaina metro station, burning through kiosks and sending black smoke over the city. Firefighters worked to put out the flames and search through the debris of the market.

“Wherever the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure,” Zelensky said. 

He added that air raid alerts continued through the morning in several regions as Russia launched another wave of drones.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Sunday that its forces targeted a metallurgical plant in Kryvyi Rih, along with several military-industrial sites in Kyiv, including what it described as a manufacturing facility for Ukraine’s Flamingo missiles.

The Flamingo missiles have become a bigger part of Ukraine’s long-range strike capability. Zelensky said Saturday that Kyiv used the weapons to strike a rocket research and production centre in Samara, around 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

NATO jet shoots down drone over Romania

Romania’s Ministry of National Defense said Sunday that a Spanish Air and Space Force F-18 fighter jet shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace. Romania is a NATO member state bordering Ukraine.

The ministry said surveillance systems detected the drone entering at 4:44 AM about 24 kilometers north of the eastern city of Galati, near the border with Moldova. The F-18, which was on air policing duty, “made radar contact with the target and received engagement approval,” the ministry said, adding that the drone was shot down at 5:01 AM.  Officials did not say where the drone came from.

This is not the first time this has happened. In recent weeks, Romanian pilots shot down three drones over three straight days using F-16 fighter jets, amid intensified Russian attacks near the Ukrainian border. Romania has recorded dozens of drone incidents since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, including several where drones crashed or exploded on Romanian soil.

Acting Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said on X that Spain’s deployment in Romania was scaled up “at the request of Romania and NATO to bolster the Eastern Flank following prior drone incidents.” This marks Spain’s fourth such deployment to the country.