Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Wildberries, Nine Dead
A series of attacks on Russia's key logistics and economy continues, while Russian strikes retaliate with casualties in Ukraine.
A series of attacks on Russia's key logistics and economy continues, while Russian strikes retaliate with casualties in Ukraine.
At least nine people were killed in Ukrainian drone attacks on multiple targets in Russia during Sunday, August 3, 2026. One of the main targets was again the retail giant Wildberries, whose warehouse in the Vladimir region caught fire. Meanwhile, at least five people lost their lives in Russian attacks on Ukraine, officials from both countries confirmed.
Ukrainian drones hit targets deep inside Russian territory. Acting Governor of Udmurtia, Olga Abramova, stated that three people were killed and two injured in that region. In the border region of Belgorod, the local crisis center reported three fatalities and five injured. Near a children's playground, one attack resulted in the death of a child and injuries to two others, occurring right next to the area. In the city of Engels, located in the Saratov region, two more people lost their lives after a residential building was hit.
On the other side of the border, Russian strikes claimed lives in Ukraine. Two people died in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, and at least one fatality was recorded in the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. In the northern Kharkiv region, a postal terminal of the company Nova Poshta was destroyed, killing one employee. During the night, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported shooting down 635 Ukrainian drones.
One of the most significant attacks targeted a Wildberries warehouse in the Samara region, about 800 kilometers from the nearest Ukrainian military positions. Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed that the attack caused a fire, but there were no casualties. This is just the latest in a series of strikes on the facilities of Russia's largest online retailer, often dubbed 'Russia's Amazon'.
Since July 18, 2026, Ukrainian forces have targeted about ten Wildberries locations, aiming to disrupt the operations of the company, which is a vital part of Russia's consumer market and contributes more than two percent of Russia's GDP. Kyiv claims that the facilities are used to supply the Russian military, which the Kremlin denies. These strikes are already having a significant economic impact; the Kremlin has admitted that it may need to provide financial support to the company, which has lost ten percent of its warehouse capacity.
"Another day, another massive Russian logistics hub in flames. Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries' mega-warehouse (171,900 m²) in Vladimir Oblast. Ukraine's long-range campaign is crippling the backbones of Russia's war effort one warehouse at a time.", UNITED24 Media posted on Twitter.
In addition to attacks on civilian and economic infrastructure, the Ukrainian military reported that on Sunday it also struck an oil refinery in Saratov and the Engels military air base, causing fires at both locations. Additionally, they mentioned hitting an oil depot in the western Kaluga region. On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces attacked infrastructure and two ships carrying military equipment in the Ukrainian port of Mykolaiv.
Meanwhile, in the Mediterranean, a European Union naval mission led by Italy intercepted and inspected the tanker Toa Payoh, which belongs to Russia's so-called 'shadow fleet'. According to The Guardian, this is the second such operation in less than two weeks. The Italian Ministry of Defense stated that the tanker, which is under EU sanctions, was stopped west of the island of Pantelleria while traveling from Benin to Istanbul. A source familiar with the operation said that the ship had only changed registration last week and began flying the flag of Cameroon.
