Ukrainian drones launched attacks inside Russia along the Volga River region during the night of August 1-2, 2026, hitting warehouses and civilian areas [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The strikes targeted multiple warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer known as "Russia’s Amazon" [1, 2, 3, 7, 4, 5, 8, 9, 6, 10]. These strikes have been ongoing since mid-July, with about 12 to 20 Wildberries sites hit across Russia, including in the Samara, Vladimir, Tambov regions, and Crimea [1, 7, 4, 5, 9, 10].
In the Samara region, about 800 kilometers from Ukraine's front lines, Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed a Wildberries warehouse was struck. He said, "Kyiv’s drones attacked a Wildberries warehouse in the Samara region, around 800 km from Ukraine’s most advanced military positions inside Ukrainian territory it holds" [1]. Meanwhile in the Saratov region, a drone hit a residential building in Engels, killing two people, Governor Roman Busargin said: "Two people were killed as a Ukrainian drone struck a residential building in the Saratov region east of Samara" [1, 7, 4, 5, 6].
Near the Ukrainian border in Belgorod region, a drone strike hit an area near a playground, killing one child and injuring two others, according to Acting Governor Alexander Shavayev. He said, "The drone hit an area adjacent to the playground in the village of Printsevka, near the Ukrainian border. Medics were unable to save a 13-year-old girl who suffered serious injuries. Two girls, ages 7 and 9, were being treated in hospital" [11]. Russia’s Commissioner for Children’s Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, condemned the strike near the playground as "another inhumane terrorist act by the Kyiv regime" [11].
In Vladimir region east of Moscow, a Wildberries warehouse was struck in early August, causing a fire and injuring one young man, Acting Governor Alexander Avdeyev said [9, 10].
Russia’s Defence Ministry stated it shot down 635 Ukrainian drones overnight during the Aug 1-2 attacks [1, 2, 3, 7, 4, 5, 6]. Russian air defenses also intercepted 107 Ukrainian drones in Tula region on August 5, regional governor Dmitry Milyaev said [12].
Russia continues drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, resulting in civilian deaths. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed delays in supplying ballistic missile interceptors for these casualties. He said, "Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today. It is very important that our partners understand that delays in supplying them, or an unwillingness to provide anti-ballistic systems, lead directly to such horrific casualties and destruction" [12].
Ukraine has not officially commented on the recent drone strikes inside Russia [1, 11, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Ukrainian strikes on Russian economic and military infrastructure aim to weaken Moscow’s war effort and pressure the Kremlin to negotiate an end to the war, according to multiple sources [1, 7, 4, 5, 9, 10].
The drone strike campaign on Wildberries warehouses began around July 18, 2026, targeting sites near Moscow and Tambov [1, 7]. The attacks continued with a major wave on the night of August 1-2, hitting Samara and Saratov regions among others [1, 11, 2, 3, 7, 6], followed by a strike on the Vladimir warehouse on August 2-3 [9, 10].
Russian forces reported intense drone interceptions on August 5 in Tula region [12]. At the same time, Russia conducted major strikes on Kyiv on August 4-5, killing at least 17 people and injuring 44 [12].
