Image shows smoke rising from Russian warehouse after Ukrainian drone strike

Ukrainian drones struck two separate Russian warehouses in July 2026. Published July 23, 2026 Claim: A photograph authentically shows a mushroom cloud of smoke rising from a Russian warehouse after it was bombed in a Ukrainian drone strike. Rating: In mid-July 2026, people on social media circulated a photograph they claimed (archived) showed the aftermath of a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia, with a large mushroom cloud of smoke rising up among buildings. According to Russian officials, Ukrainian strikes hit two warehouses east of Moscow on July 18, and struck other warehouses and logistics centers in the southern cities of Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk on July 22. An X post purported to show the attack that hit Russia's Wildberries e-commerce distribution hub in Krasnodar. The above image is authentic. Numerous credible media outlets reported on the Ukrainian drone attack and shared photographs and videos of the incident. As such, we rate this claim as true. The same image and similar ones showing a vast smoke cloud rising were shared on social media and verified by Reuters and Radio Svoboda, the Russian language version of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. According to Svoboda, the image documented a fire at the Wildberries warehouse in Krasnodar on July 22, 2026. Footage and images of the drone strike spread on the Telegram channel Astra, which is run by Astra Press, an independent Russian media outlet that the Russian government designated as a "foreign agent." Astra Press is one of the few local Russian media outlets that is considered free of government influence. (Telegram/Astra) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared footage of the same attack on his official Telegram account. He also stated that the drone strike hit Russia's Krasnodar and Stavropol regions. According to his statement, the strike reportedly hit logistics centers supplying the Russian army with drone components and navigation equipment and damaged another oil depot. Footage Zelenskyy shared showed the smoke rising while light was still in the sky and then at night. The video is taken from a lower and slightly different side of the smoke, but it shows the same line of trees, an open field and topography as seen in this photo. Below is a screenshot from Zelenskyy's video: (Telegram / Zelenskiy / Official) Meanwhile, Wildberries CEO Tatyana Kim reported that the company's facilities in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk were attacked by Ukrainian drones. Snopes has previously debunked and confirmed numerous images and footage claiming to show Ukrainian drones attacking Russia. Sources "About." Astra Press, 29 Apr. 2024, https://astra.press/en/about/. Accessed 22 July 2026.Bryanski, Gleb. "Wildberries, 'Russia's Amazon', Becomes a Target for Ukraine." Reuters, 22 July 2026, https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/wildberries-russias-amazon-becomes-target-ukraine-2026-07-22/. Accessed 22 July 2026.Christensen, Laerke. "Wildberries, 'Russia's Amazon', Becomes a Target for Ukraine." Reuters, 22 July 2026, https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/wildberries-russias-amazon-becomes-target-ukraine-2026-07-22/. Accessed 22 July 2026.Christensen, Laerke. "Video Doesn't Show Ukraine Striking Moscow with Taurus Missile amid June 2025 Drone Attacks." Snopes, 3 June 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/ukraine-russia-missiles-drones/. Accessed 22 July 2026.Ibrahim, Nur. "Did Ukraine Attack the Kremlin in Russia With Drone Strikes?" Snopes, 3 May 2023, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/ukraine-attack-kremlin-in-russia-with-drone/. Accessed 22 July 2026."Injuries Reported after Russia's Top Online Retailer Wildberries Hit Again." Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/22/russia-reports-injuries-after-top-online-retailer-wildberries-hit-again. Accessed 22 July 2026.PerryCook, Taija. "Video Showed Ukrainian Drones Striking Russian Bombers?" Snopes, 3 June 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/ukraine-vid-drones-hitting-russian-bombers/. Accessed 22 July 2026."Ukraine Hits Russian Retailer Wildberries' Warehouses Again Amid Accusations It Supplies Military Goods." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 22 July 2026. Ukraine. www.rferl.org, https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-wildberries-war-strikes-zelenskyy/33809727.html. Accessed 22 July 2026.Ukrainian Drones Hit Warehouses and Other Sites across Russia, Killing 9 and Wounding over 60. PBS, 18 July 2026, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/ukrainian-drones-hit-warehouses-and-other-sites-across-russia-killing-9-and-wounding-over-60. Accessed 22 July 2026."В России заблокировали сайт издания 'Астра.'" Радио Свобода, 21 Aug. 2024. Новости. www.svoboda.org, https://www.svoboda.org/a/v-rossii-zablokirovali-sayt-izdaniya-astra-/33086929.html. Accessed 22 July 2026."Дроны атаковали два склада Wildberries в Краснодаре и Невинномысске." Радио Свобода, 22 July 2026. Новости. www.svoboda.org, https://www.svoboda.org/a/drony-atakovali-dva-sklada-widberries-v-krasnodare-i-nevinnomysske/33809686.html. Accessed 22 July 2026."Иноагентами признаны Олег Лекманов и издание Аstra." Interfax.ru, 25 Oct. 2024, https://www.interfax.ru/russia/988686. Accessed 22 July 2026. By Nur Ibrahim Nur Nasreen Ibrahim is a reporter with experience working in television, international news coverage, fact checking, and creative writing. Article Tags