On Sunday, August 2nd, 2026, Ukrainian drones struck numerous military, energy, and civilian infrastructure sites deep inside Russia, killing at least eight people overnight.

According to Russia's Defense Ministry, its forces intercepted and downed 635 drones during the attacks. Two people died in Engels, a city on the Volga River, when drones hit residential buildings. Nearby Saratov City also suffered damage to an apartment complex.

Local officials reported three fatalities and two injuries in the Udmurtia region, located approximately 1,300 kilometers from Ukraine, and another three deaths with five injuries in Belgorod.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv targeted an oil refinery in Saratov and a military base in Engels, which houses Russian long-range bombers. He described the attacks as Ukraine's response to Russian aggression and expressed gratitude to Ukrainian forces for taking the war "back to where it came from."

Kyiv also reported that fires damaged both targeted sites and claimed to have struck an oil depot in the western Kaluga region. Local management at the Kaluga facility said no casualties occurred and that a fire there was brought under control.

While Russia's claim of downing 635 drones cannot be independently confirmed, it underscores the scale of Kyiv's efforts to strike deep within Russian territory amid ongoing conflict following Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

Sources