On July 24, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Russia, large plumes of smoke rise above St. Petersburg after a Ukrainian drone attack targeted a logistics facility operated by Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer.
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A Russian attack on energy facilities in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv and surrounding districts left around 150,000 residents without power on Friday, according to the regional electricity distribution company.
In an update via Telegram, the company said its workers are actively working to restore power to customers in the area.
Ukrainian air defense forces were also active Friday morning in the Ukrainian capital Kiev to repel a Russian attack, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
The update came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ attack on a major missile components facility in the Russian city of Kirov, as well as an attack on an oil facility some 1,350 kilometers (838.9 miles) away.
President Zelenskiy said the Kirov facility supplied parts for Russian aircraft and missile systems, and said the attack was “fully justified” given that the same parts were used to target Ukrainian cities and communities.
“Other attacks were successful. What is important is that operations against Russian logistics supplying the occupation forces with drone parts, navigation equipment and military equipment are still ongoing,” Zelenskiy said in a social media post on Friday.
Ukraine has targeted major distribution centers in Russian territory over the past week, including multiple attacks on facilities belonging to retail giant Wildberries, which is often compared to the U.S. e-commerce giant. Amazon.
The attack signals a new phase in the more than four-year-old Russia-Ukraine war, and appears to be aimed at seriously disrupting Moscow’s supply chains and increasing the financial burden facing the country’s businesses and state budget.
EU agrees new sanctions against Russia
Separately, the European Union on Thursday announced its largest sanctions against Russia in four years, targeting around 220 individuals and entities in an effort to strain Russia’s economy and ability to sustain a full-scale invasion over time.
“We are attacking more than 100 banks and crypto operators, more than 40 ships of Russia’s shadow fleet, and several oil refineries in Russia and Belarus,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Karas said in a statement.
“Russia will only negotiate to end its illegal war and stop killing civilians if it is pressured. Sanctions will further add to this pressure,” she added.
