Ukraine and Russia exchanged another wave of overnight drone strikes targeting logistics, energy, and civilian infrastructure, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced frustration with Western allies over delays in delivering urgently needed Patriot air defense systems and other military aid.
Ukraine continued its campaign to target Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, with air strikes, this time hitting a warehouse in Russia's Vladimir region. Regional authorities and the company confirmed the attack.
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Ukraine Hits Another Wildberries Hub, This Time In Russia's Vladimir Region
"As a result of an attack, a fire broke out at the company's logistics facility in the Vladimir region. People have been evacuated," the company said on August 3, adding that there were no casualties.
The attack came a day after drones hit a Wildberries warehouse in the Samara region, about 800 kilometers from Ukraine's border, according to the regional governor and videos released online.
In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have struck around a dozen Wildberries warehouses across multiple Russian regions. Ukraine has accused Wildberries of supporting Russia's military logistics and selling dual-use goods, thereby fueling Moscow's war effort. Moscow has denied the allegations.
In what appeared to be a retaliatory attack by Russian forces, a warehouse belonging to the Ukrainian online retailer Rozetka in the Kyiv region was hit by two drones on August 2. No injuries were reported.
The strike followed an attack on the same facility a day earlier that killed one person and wounded at least six others, according to the Kyiv regional prosecutors.
Telegram monitoring channels reported explosions across the Crimean Peninsula on August 3, citing local residents who also reported a fire near the port of Kerch, while traffic on the Crimean Bridge was temporarily suspended.
Three people were killed and two others injured in an overnight attack in Crimea, according to Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-installed head of the peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Russia's Defense Ministry said on August 3 its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 131 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions of the country.
According to Ukraine's drone commander Robert Brovdi, his drone units struck four Russian oil refineries and the Taman marine terminal over four days, causing extensive damage, including the reported destruction of 12 fuel storage tanks.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continued their attacks on Ukraine, launching 181 strike drones overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
In the past week alone, Russia launched around 1,900 drones, nearly 1,600 aerial bombs, and 144 missiles of various types, including ballistic missiles, against Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in a post on social media on August 2.
Having made little to no territorial gains along Ukraine's more than 1,200-kilometer front line this year, Moscow has stepped up its missile attacks on Ukraine as country faces severe shortages of air defense systems capable of intercepting high-speed ballistic missiles.
In the wake of the latest deadly Russian air strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, Zelenskyy expressed frustration with his Western allies, urging speedier delivery of urgently needed Patriot air defense missiles and other weapons.
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Zelenskyy Says 'Answers' Needed On Patriot Delivery As Civilian Death Toll Climbs"The world has Patriot missiles. What matters now is for our partners to make the political decision -- the decision to provide the necessary supplies," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on August 1.
"The United States knows what we need. Europe knows what we need...Missiles to defend against ballistic missiles should protect people and not sit in stockpiles," he added.