Translated material
War
1621st day. Ukraine attacks another (already 17th) Wildberries warehouse. The commander of the unmanned forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces promises that this is “definitely not the last” strike
Since February 24, 2022, Meduza has been broadcasting live about the Russian-Ukrainian war. We publish your letters every day because we are sure that we need to continue talking about the war. Ukraine is expanding the scale of attacks against the Russian Federation. The target of the Ukrainian Armed Forces now risks becoming almost any large warehouse, logistics center, refinery or military-industrial complex enterprise in the European part of Russia. This question is for our readers from the Russian Federation who live near such objects. Are you afraid that if an attack occurs, a drone could hit your home? Are you taking measures to protect yourself in this case? Which? The feedback form is at the end of this article. A review of the previous day can be read here .
Russia
On the night of August 2, Ukrainian drones attacked a Wildberries warehouse in the village of Novosemeikino, Krasnoyarsk district, Samara region. The attack on the warehouse was reported by Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, who clarified a little later that there were no casualties. He called the attack "another terrorist act by our enemy." The press service of the company itself confirmed that there were no casualties, and added that the supply chains have been rebuilt.
After the drone strike, the warehouse caught fire. Eyewitnesses told local publication 63.ru that the attack occurred during a shift change around eight in the morning. “We just started working. We heard a bang. We immediately realized that there was an evacuation, we heard sirens. Everyone ran out, and then there was another blow. Everyone ran away. They sat down in the grass. Another drone right away. Everyone fled again, then they went to evacuate,” says a collector who worked in the warehouse that day.
One of the employees of the logistics center, who arrived at the scene of the incident a few hours later, already around 12 o’clock, said that “the warehouse was completely collapsed” and “is still burning.”
The governor of the Samara region warned residents of the Krasnoyarsk region that “due to the appearance of combustion products in the air” after the attack on the warehouse, “it is important to monitor their well-being.”
The commander of the Armed Forces of Unmanned Systems of the Armed Forces, Robert Brovdi (call sign “Madyar”) wrote that the Wildberries warehouse in the Samara region was the “main bridge” between the European part of Russia and Siberia - and promised that this was “definitely not the last” blow.
Since mid-July, Ukrainian drones have attacked at least 16 Wildberries warehouses throughout Russia, including in regions far from the front line. The warehouse in the Samara region became the company’s 17th facility attacked.
The neighboring Saratov region was also attacked on the night of August 2. According to Ukrainian telegram channels, the targets of the strikes were the Saratov oil refinery (part of Rosneft), as well as the Engels-2 military airfield.
According to Governor Roman Busargin, two people died as a result of the attack. He added that an apartment building in Engels was damaged. The Astra Telegram channel claims that another multi-storey building in Saratov at the address: Tulskaya Street, 53/26 was damaged. It is located approximately three kilometers from the attacked oil refinery.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that Ukraine hit the Saratov oil refinery on the night of August 2, noting that this is one of the largest oil refineries in the Volga region, as well as the Engels military airfield, one of the main Russian strategic aviation bases. In addition, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Lyudinovskaya oil depot in the Kaluga region and the storage, preparation and launch site for drones in the Bryansk region were hit.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that during the night air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 635 Ukrainian drones over 15 regions of Russia, as well as over Crimea and the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
Later, the head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, also reported the attack by Ukrainian drones. According to him, one of the drones was shot down over the industrial zone of Ufa, and a fire started. However, Khabirov did not provide any details. The Astra telegram channel, which has studied photos and videos of eyewitnesses, claims that Ukrainian drones hit the Bashneft-UNPZ oil refinery in Ufa. Together with two other enterprises, Bashneft-Novoil and Bashneft-Ufaneftekhim, this refinery makes up the Ufa oil refinery complex - one of the largest in Russia (part of Rosneft). The day before, the Security Service of Ukraine reported on successful strikes on all three oil refineries in Ufa on the night of August 1.
In addition, Ukrainian drones attacked Udmurtia. Acting head of the region Olga Abramova reported that a civilian vehicle came under attack in the north of the region. Three people died. Two more people were taken to hospital, including a child.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not report attacks on Bashkortostan and Udmurtia. Vladimir Zelensky, who reported on the defeat of the Saratov oil refinery and the airfield in Engels, also did not mention these attacks.
Ukraine
On the night of August 2, Russian troops attacked the suburbs of Kharkov. According to the head of the regional military administration Oleg Sinegubov, trucks, containers and equipment of the postal terminal caught fire. Later, Sinegubov clarified that one person died as a result of the strike.
Ukrainian publications write that the Nova Poshta terminal was attacked in the suburbs of Kharkov. The Suspilne TV channel calculated that since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has struck the innovative Nova Poshta sorting terminal in the suburbs of Kharkov nine times. The company's press service confirmed that as a result of two hits, the postal terminal was destroyed and an employee of the carrier company was killed.
In the Industrial district of Kharkov, which also came under attack from Russian drones, five people were injured, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported . Among the victims are two children. A rescuer was injured while dealing with the consequences of the attack.
In addition, for the second day in a row, the warehouse of the Ukrainian marketplace Rozetka in the Brovary district of the Kyiv region came under attack from Russian drones. “Tonight two more Shaheds hit the largest Rozetka warehouse. But most importantly, people were not harmed. This is the second attack on our warehouse in 24 hours. “It’s definitely not an accident, but a purposeful strike,” the company said .
War in photographs. Drone strike on Saratov and Engels
War through the eyes of Meduza readers
How we choose letters
Meduza's readers live in different countries and have different attitudes towards the war. We publish your letters to see this event through your eyes. Our editors try to present all points of view, even if they do not coincide with the editorial position. However, in accordance with the Meduza code, we do not publish messages that contain “hate speech,” justify the murder of civilians, or express direct support for an aggressive war.
Arina (Kotovsk). My husband worked at a warehouse in Kotovsk on the night of the attack. For me, what happened there was a shock. For my husband too. We both do not support the war and the one who started it. We always stayed as far away from helping this process as possible, no donations for the needs of the army. But we would never have thought that an attack on a civilian target from Ukraine was possible.
We have never been so close to war, and it cannot but be terrifying. I am tormented by anxiety that does not go away, the fear of not seeing my loved one again when he leaves the house. If Ukraine wants to torture people, then let them continue to hit civilian targets. This is exactly what they achieved: they made ordinary people, hostages of the hated government, afraid, and those who started the war lived as they did. What's the point? There will never be discontent in the country, people will never take to the streets en masse, I am one hundred percent sure of this.
When asked about legitimate purposes, it surprises me. Law is rules. In my opinion, any war is a complete absence of rules. The attempts of each side to “keep a face” are simply ridiculous. Initially, for me this war was a battle between good and evil, but now it is no longer so. It was not the attacks on Wildberries that changed my view, but the overall behavior of the political leadership of all participants supporting the process.
During the war years we have seen political hypocrisy of all kinds, and we are already sick of it. One thing is clear: because of the ambitions of a limited circle of people, ordinary people on both sides suffer, are maimed, and die. There is no end or edge in sight to this, only escalation lies ahead. There is emptiness inside... The authorities on both sides want to say: bomb each other already and let us live. We want to live, not die. There is no feeling that at least someone’s national interests are now being protected by waging this war.