Tambov Attack: Ukrainian Drone Strikes Kill Seven Workers, Injure Dozens in Russia
Russian officials describe the overnight assault as the deadliest drone attack on the Tambov region, while Ukraine says energy infrastructure remains a legitimate military target.
Emergency responders work at the site of a drone strike in Russia's Tambov region.
Russian officials said the Tambov Attack killed seven night-shift workers and injured at least 25 people after Ukrainian drones struck the Tambov region overnight. Authorities described it as the largest drone assault the region has faced in terms of both the number of drones used and the casualties reported.
Tambov Governor Evgeniy Pervyshov said seven workers died at the scene, while emergency teams treated 25 injured people, including seven who remained in serious condition. He added that most victims suffered shrapnel wounds. Russian air defenses intercepted 28 additional drones before they reached their targets.
Pervyshov called the operation the “largest and most inhumane” drone attack ever carried out against the Tambov region.
In the Moscow region, Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported that another overnight wave of drone strikes injured several people after drones hit a Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal. Eight of the injured remained in serious condition, he said.
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Vorobyov also stated that Russian forces intercepted 48 drones across the Moscow region during the night. He confirmed that a falling drone struck an oil depot, causing what he described as the incident with the “most serious consequences.” Firefighters and emergency response teams continued operations at the site, although officials did not disclose the full extent of the damage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky separately confirmed that Ukrainian forces had targeted an oil facility during the operation.
Ukraine has expanded its long-range drone campaign against Russian energy infrastructure in recent months. Earlier this month, Kyiv claimed its attacks had disabled nearly 43% of Russia’s oil refining capacity, although the BBC has not independently verified that figure.
Kyiv maintains that Russian oil and gas facilities are legitimate military targets because energy exports help finance Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged last month that Ukrainian strikes had contributed to fuel shortages. He later signed legislation aimed at increasing fuel supplies for Russia’s domestic market.
