Moscow and Moscow region authorities did not declare mourning or cancel entertainment events after a Ukrainian strike on a Wildberries warehouse and an oil depot in the Moscow region. According to updated figures, one person was killed and 61 others were injured.
The only restriction was the closure of a park in Noginsk, with no official explanation given. At the same time, an oil depot was burning in the city. Against that backdrop, VK Fest at VDNH in Moscow went ahead without changes.
Throughout the day, the festival’s official channel published footage of performances by Dora, Aarne, IOWA, Markul, Antokha MC, Glyuk’oZa and other artists. Visitors also collected bloggers’ autographs, listened to advice from Prokhor Shalyapin, and learned what photos Anna Yegoyan and Iosif Prigozhin keep on their phones. The program also included discussions about the fashion industry, contemporary cinema, technology and the Olympic Games.
The entertainment program is set to continue on July 19. Organizers said the event was sold out.
Casualty figures and official response
According to the governor, 57 people were injured in Elektrostal, while four others were injured in Noginsk. Nine of the wounded are in serious condition.
As the publication notes, Moscow has never declared mourning after Ukrainian strikes. The last day of mourning observed in the capital was part of the nationwide mourning after the Crocus attack in March 2024. The last separate mourning day declared specifically by Moscow authorities was ten years ago, after children died at Syamozero in 2016. Since the start of the war, the Moscow region has also never introduced a regional day of mourning.
The Moscow region’s Ecology Ministry said no excess air pollution levels were recorded after the fires at the warehouse and the oil depot. Those statements were accompanied by footage showing smoke after the strikes.
Situation in Tambov region
Another attacked Wildberries warehouse was located in Kotovsk in Tambov region. There, according to officials, seven night-shift workers were killed and 25 more were injured. After the attack, several entertainment and festival events in the region were canceled.
“In such circumstances, merrymaking is inappropriate,” said Aleksandr Orionov, head of the Tambov municipal district.