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Saratov and Engels hit
Ukraine said it carried out overnight strikes deep inside Russia, hitting the Engels airfield and an oil refinery in the Saratov region, with President Volodymyr Zelensky describing the attacks as "our long-range sanctions".
“"our long-range sanctions"”
The BBC reported that Zelensky said the Engels airfield and the refinery were hit about 600km (373miles) from Ukraine's border, and Russia said eight people were killed in the Ukrainian strikes.
Ukrinform said that on the night of August 2, 2026, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Saratov refinery, where an impact was recorded followed by a fire, and it said the Saratov refinery has a refining capacity of about 7 million tons per year.
Ukrinform also said the Ukrainian forces targeted Engels airfield in the Saratov region, and it said the base houses strategic bombers Tu-95MS and Tu-160 regularly used for missile strikes against Ukraine.
Drone counts and deaths
Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted or destroyed 635 Ukrainian drones overnight, while the BBC reported that Russia also reported yet another strike on a warehouse of Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries.
The BBC added that in Sunday's post on social media, Zelensky described the latest Ukrainian strikes as "our long-range sanctions" against Russian facilities that he says finance Moscow's war.
Ukrinform said Astra published photos and videos of the fire that broke out at the Saratov refinery site, and it said the regional governor reported injuries.
AzerNews reported that Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted or destroyed 635 Ukrainian drones overnight, and it said Russia's authorities reported that eight people were killed in the attacks.
What comes next
Zelensky said the strikes were aimed at facilities that finance and support Russia's war effort, and the BBC said the Ukrainian military said its attack triggered a blaze at the airfield, one of the main bases of Russia's strategic aviation.
“"a drone attack caused damage to civilian infrastructure in Saratov and Engels"”
The BBC reported that Saratov regional Governor Roman Busargin admitted that "a drone attack caused damage to civilian infrastructure in Saratov and Engels," and it said he later said that two people were killed.
Euronews reported that a fire broke out Sunday in a Wildberries warehouse in Russia's Samara region after an attack, and it said the Russian online retailer stated that no casualties had yet been reported and that "logistics chains have been reorganized."
Euronews also quoted the commander of the drone forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Robert Brovdi (codename 'Magyar'), writing that the Wildberries warehouse located in the Samara region was the "main bridge" between Russia's European part and Siberia and promising that this was "certainly not the last" strike.
