Ukraine Strikes Deep Inside Russia: Wildberries Hub Destroyed, Refinery Hit as New Drone Tech Goes Operational

On the night of 25–26 August, Ukrainian long-range drone units delivered a one-two punch against Russian infrastructure, destroying a major Wildberries logistics centre in Kotovsk, Tambov Oblast, and setting fire to the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. The attacks come just hours after Ukrainian defence companies unveiled a new generation of unmanned systems — including a compact FPV strike drone, a range-extending video transmitter, and a naval mothership drone — suggesting that Kyiv’s investment in drone technology is translating directly into operational capability deep inside Russian territory.

Wildberries warehouse ‘utterly destroyed’

The Wildberries logistics centre in Kotovsk, one of the Russian e-commerce giant’s main hubs in central Russia, was hit by multiple drones. Tambov Oblast Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov confirmed that the facility was “utterly destroyed by fire” following the attack, which involved nine UAVs, six of which he claimed were shot down. Two people were injured — a 19-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman — though both the governor and Wildberries’ press service said the warehouse had been evacuated in advance, preventing a higher number of casualties. The company stated that the facility is no longer accepting new deliveries. Local authorities warned residents to keep windows and balconies closed due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from the massive fire (Ukrainska Pravda).

Refinery strike hits Russia’s fuel supply

Simultaneously, deep-strike units of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, working with the Unmanned Systems Forces, struck the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Kstovo — Russia’s fourth-largest refinery by capacity, processing around 17 million tonnes of crude oil per year. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed a direct hit followed by a fire, with damage assessment ongoing. The refinery produces petrol, diesel, aviation fuel, and other petroleum products, and accounts for up to 11% of Russia’s petrol output. It also supplies the Russian Armed Forces (Ukrainska Pravda).

New drone tech on display — and in action

The strikes coincided with a flurry of announcements from Ukrainian defence companies, underscoring the rapid pace of innovation in the country’s unmanned systems sector.

F-Drones unveiled the F5, a compact FPV strike drone built on a five-inch carbon frame, designed specifically for assault units operating in close-range environments such as forests, urban areas, and trenches. The F5 can carry a 1 kg payload and comes in two variants: one with a jam-resistant radio link (tactical range up to 13 km) and a fibre-optic version immune to electronic warfare (range about 6 km). The company emphasised that the drone’s small size enables multiple units to be carried in a single backpack, or nine delivered by a ground robotic system. The F5 has already been codified by Ukraine’s Defence Ministry (Ukrainska Pravda).

Wild Hornets announced the HV VTX Pro video transmitter, which boosts the maximum output power to 4W — more than double the previous module. The company claims this can increase the effective operating range of interceptor and FPV strike drones by up to 50%. For interceptor drones like the Sting, the operating radius could grow from roughly 20 km to 30 km under favourable conditions, and the transmitter also improves the effectiveness of intercepting low-flying targets by at least 20% (Ukrainska Pravda).

UForce showcased the Magura V11, the largest drone in its class, during an Independence Day parade on the Dnipro River. The V11 is a transport platform with a payload capacity of up to 2,200 kg and an endurance of up to seven days. Its key innovation is the ability to carry and launch other unmanned systems from aboard, effectively serving as a mobile maritime base for reconnaissance, surveillance, amphibious support, and resupply of fuel and equipment to other naval drones. The V11 was developed by UForce’s design bureau in Portugal with international investment (Ukrainska Pravda).

Why this matters

The strikes on Kotovsk and Kstovo demonstrate that Ukraine has both the technology and the operational capability to hit strategic targets hundreds of kilometres inside Russia with precision. The Wildberries hub was a logistical node for civilian commerce, but its destruction also disrupts supply chains that support the Russian economy and, indirectly, the war effort. The Kstovo refinery strike directly targets fuel supplies for the Russian military.

Moreover, the new systems unveiled this week — especially the F5 drone and the HV VTX Pro transmitter — are likely already being integrated into the strike packages that hit these targets. The Magura V11, while still in development, points to a future where Ukraine can project power not just from the air but from the sea, using unmanned motherships to launch swarms of smaller drones far from shore.

As Ukraine continues to invest in its domestic drone industry — and as Western partners like the United States begin manufacturing Ukrainian-designed Magura platforms — the Kremlin faces a growing challenge: how to defend a vast territory against a technologically adaptive adversary that is learning to strike deeper, more precisely, and with increasingly resilient systems.