Russian forces attacked a shopping mall and industrial plant in Zaporizhia, causing extensive destruction and a local blackout in the area.
The head of the Zaporozhye regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov, confirmed that the hits were inflicted by suicide drones, which set fire to the commercial facility. A large hypermarket from the “Epicenter“ chain was completely destroyed. The fire covered an area of over 10,000 square meters, but according to preliminary data, no civilians were killed or injured. Nearly 1,200 customers were left without electricity due to damaged energy infrastructure.
Massive drone strikes and road closures in Russia
In parallel, retaliatory drone attacks have wreaked havoc on Russian territory. The movement on the highway from Yaroslavl to Moscow was completely interrupted. Authorities in the Yaroslavl region declared an emergency “unmanned danger“ and turned on sirens in the region, urging citizens to seek safe hiding places. Governor Mikhail Evraev urged residents to avoid traveling to the capital and use detours while air defenses reflect the threat.
Meanwhile, in occupied Sevastopol, Russian forces announced that they had shot down five Ukrainian UAVs. The city's governor, Mikhail Razvozhaev, reported that the drones were neutralized in the regions of the Northern Side, Balaklava and the Gagarin region, with mobile fire groups and air defense complexes participating in the operation.
Kremlin flees in panic from new wave of mobilization
Despite the increasing pressure on the front and heavy losses of personnel, Russia is trying at all costs to avoid a second wave of mass mobilization, reports the authoritative British publication „The Guardian“. According to media sources familiar with internal discussions in Moscow, Vladimir Putin is still refraining from a new forced call-up due to the huge political risks and falling approval for the war.
Instead, the Kremlin has shifted the burden to regional governors. Local administrations are forced to meet heavy monthly quotas for recruiting mercenaries through financial incentives and aggressive methods of pressure. Lawyers and activists report widespread cases of "human hunting," in which men from vulnerable groups (debtors, criminals, and students) are detained on the streets and forced to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense under threat. Rumors of an impending mobilization after the country's autumn elections are also deliberately used by recruiters as a tool of blackmail to get men to join the army "voluntarily" before being taken away by force.