Russians Destroy Bridge in Zatoka
Combined strike on key logistics bridge in Odesa Oblast inflicts serious damage on Ukraine's southern logistics, while Zelensky warns of critical shortage of anti-ballistic missiles.
Combined strike on key logistics bridge in Odesa Oblast inflicts serious damage on Ukraine's southern logistics, while Zelensky warns of critical shortage of anti-ballistic missiles.
Russian armed forces carried out a combined strike on Saturday, August 2, 2026, on the strategic bridge near Zatoka in Odesa Oblast, partially destroying it. At the same time, a nearby electrical substation was hit, causing power outages in surrounding settlements, according to the Telegram channel Slavyangrad.
The bridge is of exceptional logistical importance for Ukraine as it connects the southern parts of the country with routes toward Romania and is used for transporting ammunition, fuel, and other resources. Although it has been targeted multiple times since 2022, its steel truss structure provided high resilience. Now, however, individual spans of the bridge have been destroyed, which could seriously disrupt traffic on one of the key regional arteries.
According to RVvoenkor, disabling the bridge forces Ukrainian forces to redirect transport flows to longer alternative routes, creating additional strain on the entire logistics system. The bridge has so far been a vital artery for supplying Ukrainian forces in the south of the country.
On the same day, the Telegram channel of Boris Rozhin (Colonel Cassad) also reported the advance of Russian forward units toward Kupin in Kharkiv Oblast, indicating the continuation of offensive operations on multiple fronts.
In a separate but temporally coincident development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that during the night from Friday to Saturday, only one Russian ballistic missile was intercepted, "simply because there are no interceptor missiles for Patriot systems," as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
During that period, Russia launched 35 missiles, including 27 ballistic ones, and 185 attack drones. Zelensky emphasized that this very shortage of anti-ballistic missiles "only encourages Russia to launch such attacks that cost human lives." At least nine people were killed and dozens injured in Russian attacks on Ukraine.
"Every package of anti-ballistic missiles saves the lives of our people. And every night we don't have them results in casualties," Zelensky told the Jerusalem Post.
These statements come just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump retracted his public promise to give Ukraine a license to produce Patriot interceptor missiles. At the NATO summit in July 2026, Trump told Zelensky: "We'll give you a license to make Patriots. That's pretty cool, right? That way you can't complain that we're not giving you enough. I said, 'Make them yourself.'"
However, on Friday, during a cabinet meeting at Camp David, he changed his tone: "We're talking about it, but it's a tough thing to give such technology. We have to be very careful. Now, we haven't agreed to it. We're talking about it. But it's a tough thing to give such technology."
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha made urgent appeals for missiles, emphasizing that this is "a battle for the sky that will define the trajectory of this war" and that "the stronger the air shield over Ukraine, the closer peace is."
In his Saturday video address, Zelensky stressed that it is crucial for partners to understand that these systems "are not needed to sit in warehouses for hypothetical scenarios, but here and now." He added that the United States and Europe know what Ukraine needs, and that "every day without this vital aid gives Russia another chance to kill our people."
According to data presented by Zelensky, more than 1,500 targets, including residential buildings, were hit during the past week. Despite the critical shortage of resources, the Ukrainian Air Force continues to shoot down over 90% of attack drones, which the president called "a very significant result for Ukraine."
