Ukraine hits Russian drone university, 18th Wildberries site

Ukrainian drones struck a university involved in drone development in Russia's Belgorod region and hit another Wildberries logistics warehouse early Monday, extending a campaign that has now targeted at least 18 of the online retailer's facilities in just over two weeks. The overnight raids followed a wave of attacks on Sunday that killed at least eight people across multiple Russian regions, according to regional governors.reuters+1

Belgorod University Burns

Drones hit Belgorod State Technological University in the early hours of August 3, setting a building on fire that local residents and Russian media said was used for the development and testing of unmanned aerial vehicles. The facility burned down completely, according to the Telegram channel Pepel and Russian outlet Astra.meduza+1

The university had been developing an automated drone control system based on the Russian-made Milandr microprocessor, the Moscow Times reported. BSTU officials had previously described the technology as civilian in nature, intended for monitoring power lines and aerial photography. The university had also recently opened enrollment for summer courses teaching schoolchildren drone development.kyivpost+1

Russian authorities did not officially confirm the strike on the university.english.nv

Wildberries Under Siege

Separately, drones attacked a Wildberries logistics center in Russia's Vladimir region overnight, Vladimir Governor Alexander Avdeyev confirmed on Telegram. The company said an employee was injured and that it had rerouted logistics operations through other facilities.anews+1

The 58,500-square-meter facility opened in December 2024 and serves as a distribution hub for Moscow and central Russia. The strike followed an attack on a Wildberries warehouse in the Samara region on August 2, which Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces Commander Robert Brovdi described as targeting the company's primary logistics corridor linking European Russia with Siberia.united24media+1

According to Russian outlet Agentstvo, cited by the Kyiv Post, Ukrainian forces have now targeted at least 18 Wildberries facilities since July 18, damaging warehouses with a combined area of around one million square meters — roughly 38 percent of the retailer's largest logistics hubs. Including attempted strikes, facilities accounting for about 60 percent of the company's major warehouse capacity have been targeted.kyivpost

Broader Campaign

The strikes are part of Ukraine's expanding effort to hit economic and energy targets deep inside Russia. On Sunday, Ukraine's military confirmed it attacked an oil refinery in Saratov and the Engels strategic bomber airbase, sparking fires at both. Russia's Defense Ministry said it downed 635 Ukrainian drones overnight, though it did not disclose how many were launched or struck targets.aljazeera+2

Wildberries' banking arm was sanctioned by the EU in July over its financial contribution to Russia's state budget, and company founder Tatiana Kim on July 31 told customers that losses from the strikes constitute force majeure and would not be compensated.kyivindependent