Ukraine carried out a large overnight drone attack on Russian territory, with images showing thick black smoke rising from what observers identify as the Saratov oil refinery and from a Wildberries logistics hub in Samara. The refinery strike is believed to be at least the fifteenth on the facility since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Saratov region Governor Roman Busargin said "civilian infrastructure" had been damaged in Saratov and the nearby city of Engels, but did not provide further details. The refinery has an annual processing capacity of 4.8 million tonnes.
Wildberries distribution centre struck
The Wildberries facility, covering 178,600 square metres, serves as a distribution centre for the Volga region and central European Russia. The company confirmed the hub had been hit and said there were no casualties, according to The Kyiv Post.
The attack came after Ukraine conducted a drone strike targeting defence industrial enterprises and military infrastructure in Rostov Oblast on the night of July 31 to August 1.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Russian milbloggers and opposition outlets reported that Ukrainian forces struck Taganrog and Petrushino, damaging the 325th Air Repair Plant, the base of the 708th Military Transport Aviation Regiment, the Taganrog Ship Repair Plant and the Rodionovskaya oil pumping station.
Russian drones target Ukrainian regions
On the same night, Russia carried out its own wave of drone strikes against Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 72 Shahed-type drones and decoy drones from Kursk City, Millerovo in Rostov Oblast, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Krasnodar Krai.
Ukrainian forces downed or suppressed 44 drones, while 28 Russian drones struck nine locations, mainly targeting Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Kyiv oblasts, according to officials.
The Russian strikes killed three people, injured 12 and damaged civilian infrastructure in Kyiv City and Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts.
