Ukrainian drone swarm strikes Belgorod's MegaGRINN mall overnight
A large wave of Ukrainian drones hit the Belgorod region of Russia on the night of Oct. 25, targeting the MegaGRINN shopping complex and causing fires and possible casualties.
Overnight on Oct. 25, a coordinated swarm of Ukrainian drones bombarded the Russian border city of Belgorod, concentrating on the MegaGRINN shopping complex, which spans more than 163,000 square metres and houses over 200 outlets. Authorities said the facility was closed, yet a fire erupted in the courtyard of a nearby residential building. The Belgorod Oblast Operational Headquarters confirmed a "massive UAV attack" and sent emergency responders, while preliminary one outlet suggested casualties, though exact figures remain undisclosed.
Eyewitness videos circulating on social media display explosions, burning debris and active air-defence measures across the city. The attack comes as Ukraine announced that its Starshield system, built on Starlink satellite internet, had returned to full speed, improving coordination of drone strikes. Belgorod’s proximity to the front lines—about 34 km from the Ukrainian border—has made it a frequent target for such operations.
Why it matters
The raid shows Ukraine's expanding drone capabilities and highlights the vulnerability of Russian border cities.
How this story developed
- Oct 3 Russian missile attacks damage Kyiv's Northern Bridge, halt east-west traffic
- Oct 4 Russian drone hit the Northern Bridge on Oct 4, marking the fourth consecutive day of bridge attacks.
- Oct 7 A large‑scale missile and drone barrage hit Kyiv in the early hours.
- Oct 7 Two civilian deaths reported in Kyiv and simultaneous strikes hit other Ukrainian cities on Putin's birthday.
- Oct 7 Ukrainian air defenses reported downing 161 of the incoming missiles and drones.
- Oct 11 Power outages now affect additional neighborhoods in Kyiv.
- Oct 18 Ukrainian drones launched a large-scale attack on St. Petersburg early on Oct. 18, triggering multiple explosions and fires across the city.
- Oct 18 Authorities confirmed one fatality and five injuries resulting from the St. Petersburg raid.
- Oct 19 Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a Russian air strike on Kyiv resulted in one civilian death—a 21-year-old woman—and three injuries, also damaging a metro station on the city’s left bank. In parallel, President Vladimir Putin suggested holding a three-way summit with the United States and China to discuss a peace framework favorable to Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said talks are ongoing but no concrete agreement on the meeting has been reached.
- Oct 19 Putin has floated a US‑China‑Russia summit to discuss a peace framework.
- Oct 20 New civilian deaths and injuries were reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv and several other oblasts.
- Oct 22 Missile strikes hit Kyiv’s Pivdennyi Bridge and a monastery.
- Oct 23 A Russian drone struck a residential building in Zhytomyr Oblast on Oct. 22, leaving nine people wounded, two of them children.
- Oct 25 Ukraine launched drone raids on Russian petrochemical and rubber facilities.
In this story
Related stories
15 in this thread