KYIV, Ukraine, Aug. 3 (ANI): At least eight people were killed after Ukraine launched a large-scale overnight drone attack targeting military, energy and civilian infrastructure deep inside Russia on Sunday. According to DW, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted 635 drones during the assault.
Residential buildings in Engels, on the left bank of the Volga River, were struck by drones, killing two people. Another apartment building in nearby Saratov sustained damage. Local officials said three people were killed and two others were injured in the Udmurtia region, about 800 miles from Ukraine. An additional three people were killed and five were injured in the Belgorod region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Kyiv targeted a military base in Engels housing Russian long-range bombers, along with an oil refinery in Saratov. Zelenskyy said the strikes were a response to Russia’s aggression and thanked Ukrainian forces for taking the war “back to where it came from.”
Kyiv said fires broke out at both sites and that Ukrainian forces also struck an oil depot in Russia’s western Kaluga region. Unverified videos shared on social media appeared to show fires burning at the Saratov oil facility.
Addressing Ukraine’s decision to target warehouses operated by the online retailer Wildberries, DW reported that Kyiv struck one of the company’s logistics centers in Samara, more than 500 miles from Ukraine’s front lines. Sunday’s strike was part of a broader campaign against Wildberries, which Ukraine accuses of supporting Russia’s military.
Since July 18, Ukraine has targeted nearly a dozen Wildberries warehouses. Although no casualties were reported at the Samara facility, local management said the fire was brought under control.
While Russia’s claim of intercepting 635 drones could not be independently verified, DW said the figure underscores the scale of Ukraine’s efforts to strike targets deep inside Russian territory while defending itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began on Feb. 24, 2022.
DW also reported that the attacks on Wildberries are intended to bring the effects of the war home to Russian citizens and increase economic pressure on the country in an effort to weaken support for Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. (ANI)
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