Death toll rises to 16 in Kryvyi Rih after drone strike; Kyiv hits Ozon warehouse
A Russian drone strike in Kryvyi Rih killed at least 16 on 22 August 2026; Kyiv responded with strikes that hit a Russian Ozon logistics warehouse in Samara.
On 22 August 2026 a Russian drone strike on a shopping centre in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih left at least 16 people dead and dozens wounded, Ukrainian emergency services reported. The State Emergency Service said nine people remain missing, including two children; several of the seriously injured are receiving treatment in hospitals. Initial reports on Friday evening had put the death toll at 15 and noted more than 130 people injured, many of them children.
That same night Kyiv was struck again. Authorities said at least two people died and several were injured after a strike that ignited a fire at a warehouse in the capital. The Russian Ministry of Defense, in claims that have not been independently verified, said a railway depot with locomotives had been hit. Ukrainian air-defence units had earlier warned of a possible attack involving ballistic missiles.
Kyiv's counterstrikes reach Russian logistics targets
Ukrainian forces launched counterattacks that Kyiv’s media say included a large oil refinery in the Samara region and, for the first time, a logistics warehouse belonging to the Russian online retailer Ozon. Ozon itself confirmed an attack on its logistics centre in Samara: the facility caught fire and around 500 employees were evacuated. The company said there were injuries and that it set up a special hotline for staff and family members.
The move follows repeated Ukrainian drone strikes in recent weeks against the largest Russian online retailer Wildberries. Industry experts estimate the damage suffered by that company amounts to billions of rubles.
Moscow, meanwhile, reported fresh Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian capital and said airport takeoffs and landings were temporarily suspended because of the aerial threat. Officials on both sides have announced increasingly frequent air strikes in recent weeks.
Analysts warn of a further escalation: Russia is relying more heavily on cruise missiles and other long-range munitions, while Ukraine has been deploying faster, longer-range drones and cruise missiles. The confrontation continues more than four and a half years after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, with Kyiv defending itself with military assistance from Western partners.
Photo: press material from the event
