(VOLGOGRAD, RUSSIA) – Ukrainian drone strikes overnight targeted two Wildberries distribution warehouses inside Russia, with one site located in Volgograd, known as Stalingrad until 1961, and another in Zelenodolsk, approximately 500 kilometres east of Moscow in the Tatarstan region. The attacks also hit an oil refinery in Volgograd, with video footage showing two large plumes of smoke rising from separate locations.
The aerial assault on Ukraine between Wednesday and Thursday included North Korean-supplied KN23 missiles, according to Ukrainian air force officials. This marks the first confirmed use of North Korean munitions since summer last year, following reported deliveries to Russia. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that a blast which killed six family members near his hometown of Kryvyi Rih was caused by a KN23 missile.
Russian strikes across Ukraine overnight killed nine people and injured nearly 50 across a wide arc from Chernihiv oblast in the north, through Kharkiv and the Donbas, to Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in the south. The attacks involved 255 drones, with 22 penetrating air defences, alongside glide bombs, artillery and other munitions.
A drone factory in Kyiv owned by Terminal Autonomy, a US-registered company, was destroyed in what is believed to be the first known Russian strike on an American-owned military-related facility in Ukraine. Russian state media confirmed the attack but did not disclose the American ownership. No casualties were reported.
During a meeting on Tuesday arranged on the margins of the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, President Zelensky asked President Donald Trump to secure permission from Elon Musk for the use of Starlink to guide drone strikes inside Russia, according to an article in The Atlantic. The report, citing three officials, said SpaceX has restricted Starlink use to Ukrainian territory and occupied areas. Elon Musk’s earlier decision to deny Russian forces access to Starlink blunted Moscow’s spring-summer offensive and allowed Ukraine to regain front-line control.
President Trump said he has not yet decided whether to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles domestically, despite President Zelensky stating the two discussed licensing during their White House meeting. In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Trump cited the sensitivity of licensing advanced weapons technology. “We’re looking at it. It’s a very extraordinary weapon, and we have to be a little bit careful of who we license it to,” he said.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, said Kyiv urgently needs American ballistic missile support this winter. Speaking at a Christian Science Monitor briefing, she said local Patriot production would take one to five years and would not meet immediate needs. Regarding recent strikes inside Russia, particularly on Moscow, she said: “Every Russian in Moscow or around the area felt this fear of being killed on Red Square. It caused massive, massive unhappiness for the Russian people. They understand that the war is something that now really relates to them.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland would consider supplying additional Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine following a suspected Russian Kh-101 cruise missile strike in south-eastern Poland. Speaking near the impact site, he said: “After this incident, we will consider as soon as possible the issue of further assistance to Ukraine, including the transfer of additional missiles for Patriot systems should such a need arise. I think it has arisen.”
A Panamanian-flagged general cargo vessel was hit by a drone while underway off the coast of Sulina in Romania. The vessel, en route from Chornomorsk in Ukraine to Istanbul, sustained substantial structural damage to its accommodation block. Ambrey Intelligence, a global maritime risk management firm, said the vessel continued its journey and no casualties were confirmed among the 13 crew members, who are Turkish and Azerbaijani nationals.
Radio Free Europe reported that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are expected to visit Kyiv towards the end of August, potentially around Ukrainian Independence Day events. Neither envoy has visited Ukraine in any official capacity, despite Mr Witkoff having made at least eight trips to Moscow. The visit is likely to focus on reviving trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia, which have failed this year.
The European Union has delivered another tranche of its €90 billion (£76 billion, $99 billion) loan to Ukraine, with €3.5 billion (£2.96 billion, $3.85 billion) received and earmarked for the purchase of Gripen jets, long-range missiles and drones. The loan is interest-free and will be repaid through Russian reparations and frozen assets, with €210 billion (£177.5 billion, $231 billion) in EU-held assets. Approximately €11 billion (£9.3 billion, $12.1 billion) has already been delivered this year, with a target of €45 billion (£38 billion, $49.5 billion) by year-end.
Ukraine has sent 70 firefighters and approximately 15 specialised emergency vehicles to help combat wildfires across Europe. The decision comes as Ukraine continues to require emergency services domestically to respond to fires caused by Russian and North Korean ballistic missile strikes.
A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies detailed Russia’s extensive nuclear diplomacy, with state-owned Rosatom building or planning nuclear facilities in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Hungary, India, Iran and Turkey. Russia is also constructing nuclear-powered icebreakers for Arctic operations.
A petition to the Ukrainian presidential office, started by Veronica Yanovich, widow of Belarusian volunteer soldier Alexei Yanovich, seeks to change legislation so foreign volunteers can receive the title of Hero of Ukraine. Currently, only Ukrainian citizens are eligible for the honour. Mr Yanovich served in the Kalinowski Regiment and later the 225th Separate Assault Regiment before being killed in action.
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