Russia and Ukraine Escalate Drone Warfare: Key Infrastructure and Civilian Areas Targeted

Firefighters are seen at the site of a warehouse facility that was damaged during a Russian jet drone strike in the Kyiv region on Thursday, November 5, 2026. Russia and Ukraine have engaged in reciprocal drone attacks targeting each other's infrastructure, resulting in injuries on both sides.

Moscow announced on Thursday that its forces had successfully struck a postal logistics hub, a power substation, and a cargo ship. Concurrently, Ukrainian drones ignited fires within an industrial zone in the Russian city of Ryazan, located approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of the capital.

Russia's Ministry of Defence stated via Telegram that its military utilized drones to strike a terminal belonging to Nova Poshta, identified as Ukraine's largest private delivery company, situated in the village of Novyi Korotych, near Kharkiv. The ministry further claimed that its forces also targeted a 330-kilovolt substation in the Dnipropetrovsk region and a dry cargo ship laden with military equipment in the Black Sea, about 52 kilometers (32 miles) southwest of Odesa port.

Ukrainian officials have not yet provided immediate confirmation regarding the strikes on the postal terminal or the vessel. Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that Russia had attacked the city and 17 other settlements in the region over the preceding day, deploying more than 80 drones and causing injuries to six individuals, including a child. In the eastern Donetsk region, Governor Vadym Filashkin stated that Russian attacks resulted in the deaths of four civilians and injuries to five others on Wednesday. Specifically, two individuals were killed in Serhiivka and two in Yasnohirka. The local outlet Novosti Donbasu reported that the two women who died in Yasnohirka were killed when Russian forces struck the village with two glide bombs.

Moscow asserts that the logistics sites targeted by its forces serve the Ukrainian military. Nova Poshta facilities have been subjected to repeated attacks, including an incident in August where a sorting center in Kyiv was hit, leading to three fatalities. Russian drones also caused significant fires in the Bucha district, outside Kyiv, overnight, with one logistics center being targeted and one person injured.

'Intensified' Strikes

Meanwhile, in Russia, Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov reported that over 200 Ukrainian drones had attacked the region overnight. He indicated that falling debris from the drones sparked fires at several industrial sites and damaged power lines, leading to power outages in parts of the city and injuring one person. Malkov later updated that power had been restored and the fires were either extinguished or contained. While Malkov did not specify the sites that were hit, footage verified by the independent Russian outlet Astra showed a fire at the Ryazan oil refinery, which is owned by the state energy company Rosneft and is recognized as one of Russia's largest refineries.

Al Jazeera's Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, commented, "It’s evident that Ukraine has intensified its strikes on Russian oil refineries" following a brief cessation in late October. She also noted that the Yaroslavl refinery had been attacked just two days prior. Additionally, windows were shattered at a school in Ryazan, resulting in the cancellation of classes.

Shapovalova observed that the strikes had not halted Russian fuel production but acknowledged that occasional shortages have been reported as individuals rush to gas stations to refuel their vehicles after news of attacks on oil refineries emerges. Russia, in parallel, has escalated its attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, causing rolling blackouts in Kyiv since mid-October. Al Jazeera's Audrey McAlpine, reporting from Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, stated, "Some people here have not had things like electricity and, more importantly, water for days now." She added, "They would say that they can do without electricity, but water is another thing entirely." McAlpine further noted that city authorities had indicated that heating would not be activated until temperatures consistently remained at minus 5 degrees Celsius for five consecutive days. As temperatures approach zero, she emphasized, the outages become "a matter of life and death."