A thick plume of smoke towers over Kyiv in an aerial view after a NOVUS supermarket chain warehouse caught fire following a Russian ballistic missile strike on Ukraine’s capital on August 5, 2026.
Libkos | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Russia unleashed a large-scale barrage of drones and ballistic missiles on Kyiv, killing at least 17 people and injuring 44 others in one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital this year.
The assault comes amid an intensifying air war, as both Moscow and Kyiv target infrastructure and logistics networks. Ukrainian drones have also struck additional warehouses tied to Amazon-style Russian retailer Wildberries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed sympathy to the relatives of the victims, describing the latest Russian attack as a “heavy strike” involving 24 ballistic missiles, four Zircon/Oniks missiles and 115 drones.
Zelenskyy said Wednesday that civilian business warehouses were among the primary targets, while infrastructure sites and a railway station were also hit.
“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,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X.
He added that countries not yet prepared to take a larger role in providing interceptors could still increase pressure on Moscow through fresh sanctions, saying much of Russia’s ballistic missile production remains untouched by existing restrictions.
Russian forces have increased the number of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, likely as part of a push to exploit Kyiv’s shortage of ballistic missile interceptors.
Ukraine remains heavily reliant on the American Patriot PAC-3 system to intercept Russian ballistic missiles and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly argued that domestic production of this technology would help to ease an acute air defense shortage.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has recently appeared more willing to support Ukraine, recently cast doubt on whether Washington would agree to support one of Kyiv’s most pressing demands.
In a telephone interview with the Financial Times, Trump said on July 30 that he had not yet decided whether to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles.
Ukraine targets Russian retail giant Wildberries
Ukraine has recently sought to raise the cost of war for Russia and test President Vladimir Putin’s resolve after four-and-a-half years of conflict by targeting retail giant Wildberries.
Dmitry Milyaev, governor of the Tula region in western Russia, said Wednesday via Telegram that Russia’s Defense Ministry had destroyed 107 Ukrainian drones overnight.
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with chief executive officer of Russia’s state-run diamond giant Alrosa in Moscow on August 4, 2026.
Alexander Kazakov | Afp | Getty Images
One drone crashed into a Wildberries sorting center, setting it ablaze, Milyaev said, according to a Google translation, adding that preliminary information suggested there were no casualties.
Wildberries is a major player in Russia’s e-commerce sector, with the retail giant’s marketplace alone accounting for roughly 3% of Russia’s gross domestic product, according to the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center think tank.
