Drones Strike Saratov Refinery and Samara Wildberries Hub

Ukrainian drones struck a major oil refinery in Saratov and a Wildberries logistics center in the Samara region early Sunday morning, Aug. 2, continuing a campaign against Russian industrial and supply chain infrastructure. The strike on the Saratov Oil Refinery sparked a large fire, according to the independent Russian outlet Astra, which noted this was at least the 15th attack on the facility since the start of the full-scale war. Saratov region Governor Roman Busargin confirmed an overnight drone attack, stating that “civilian infrastructure” sustained damage in Saratov and the neighboring city of Engels, though he did not specify the affected sites.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The Saratov facility, one of Russia’s oldest refineries, has an annual processing capacity of 4.8 million tons. A previous drone strike on July 8 halted operations at the site after hitting the primary CDU-6 refining unit, which processed 20,000 metric tons per day. In the neighboring Samara region, drones targeted a Wildberries logistics complex in Novosemeykino. The 178,600-square-meter facility serves as a primary distribution hub for the Volga region and central European Russia. Wildberries management confirmed the attack on the warehouse, stating there were no casualties. Independent monitoring channels reported that the logistics center is located approximately 450 meters from a large installation displaying a Russian flag and the pro-war “Z” symbol. Other Topics of Interest Russian ‘Rassvet’ Satellites Secure Two Daily Comms Windows Over Ukraine Russian Bureau 1440 satellites are now providing at least two daily “communication windows” over Ukraine, enabling potential control of strike UAVs. A large installation in Samara region displaying a Russian flag and the pro-war “Z” symbol. (Photo: Astra Telegram channel) Systematic targeting of Russian logistics and refining The strike in Samara is part of a sustained campaign against Wildberries, Russia’s largest e-commerce retailer. Over the past two weeks, at least 18 strikes have targeted the company’s supply chain infrastructure, damaging or destroying approximately 1 million square meters of warehouse space – roughly 38% of its major logistics capacity. The systematic destruction of these hubs, which has caused estimated losses of up to $1.2 billion for the retailer, recently triggered a 10% to 30% surge in consumer prices on the platform as the company canceled promotional discounts to absorb the financial impact. Ten of the company’s 26 largest warehouses have sustained damage, including facilities in the Moscow and St. Petersburg regions that were completely destroyed by fire. The Sunday strikes follow a massive wave of coordinated deep strikes on Saturday, Aug. 1, which targeted three Bashneft refineries in Bashkortostan and multiple radar stations in the Krasnodar region. Concurrently, a naval drone operation in the Black Sea sank the Rosatom-affiliated FESCO container ship Yanina. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the sinking of the sanctioned vessel, which had a capacity of over 100,000 tons, noting that the strikes targeted specific sites that support the Russian war effort. Tymur Dubovyk - journalist, newsfeed editor