Ukrainian forces have continued to attack targets deep inside Russia with drones, including more facilities belonging to the country's largest online retailer, Wildberries, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the United States and European allies to bolster Ukraine's air defenses amid escalating Russian ballistic missile attacks.
According to monitoring Telegram channels and Russian regional authorities, Ukrainian drones struck a Wildberries logistics center and an oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd region on July 31.
Wildberries, Russia's equivalent of online retail giant Amazon, confirmed reports of a fire at its warehouse in the Volgograd region.
According to the company's preliminary information, no one was injured during the attack.
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Ukraine Attacks Wildberries Logistics Hub In Volgograd
Telegram channels also reported an attack on a Wildberries logistics facility in Zelenodolsk in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan.
According to videos published online, the strike caused minor smoke, but no large-scale fire broke out.
Local residents also reported explosions in Kazan, the capital of Russia's oil-rich Republic of Tatarstan, while the republic's authorities said temporary restrictions had been imposed at airports in the region amid a drone alert, later adding no damage or casualties had been reported.
The company's warehouse complex in Tatarstan's Zelenodolsk remains operational, Wildberries' press office also reported.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have struck at least 13 Wildberries warehouses across multiple Russian regions, as Kyiv claims the company is used to transport military-related goods.
Media reports estimate the Ukrainian drone campaign may have disrupted roughly 10 percent of Wildberries' total warehouse capacity, potentially affecting the retailer's logistics network across Russia.
Ukraine Urges Air-Defense Support
US President Donald Trump said in a phone interview with the Financial Times on July 30 that he had not decided whether to allow Ukraine to produce American-designed Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles.
"It's a very extraordinary weapon, and...we have to be a little bit careful about who we license to. We don't really license equipment," Trump said, as quoted by the Financial Times.
Trump's remarks came a few days after he met with Zelenskyy at the White House to discuss reviving peace talks with Russia and plans for Ukraine to produce Patriot missile interceptors.
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Russian Missile Strike On Ukrainian Village Kills Almost Entire FamilyFollowing the meeting, Zelenskyy said in an interview with Fox News that Trump had agreed to provide licenses allowing Ukraine to domestically produce Patriot missiles, which are considered the most effective defense against ballistic missiles.
Zelenskyy has urged the United States and European allies to bolster Ukraine's air defenses amid escalating Russian ballistic missile attacks.
"Air defense missiles and pressure on Russia that can stop this dumb Russian war. Air defense missiles -- for Patriots first and foremost, but also for NASAMS, IRIS-T, HAWK, and our other systems -- are the key priority," Zelenskyy said following a major Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine that killed at least eight people, including nearly an entire family in the village of Radushne in Ukraine's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
"I hope that all of our partners, above all our American partners, as well as our friends in Europe, will understand that real human lives depend on whether they help us," Zelenskyy wrote on X.
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Russia Launches Massive Missile And Drone Attack On Ukraine
Zelenskyy added that preliminary findings indicated the missile that struck Radushne had originated in North Korea.
The Ukrainian president linked the incident to Moscow's alliance with Pyongyang, which, he said, exists "for the sake of deploying a North Korean contingent here in Europe, on our borders, and for the sake of killing our Ukrainian children."
Last week, Zelenskyy said Moscow was preparing to deploy thousands more North Korean troops to support its invasion of Ukraine, with preparations having been underway in Russia since early summer.
A new deployment of North Korean troops would mark the second such deployment since 2024, when about 12,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to fight in Russia's Kursk region following a surprise incursion by Ukrainian forces.