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Ukraine drone strikes kill five near Moscow, Russia says
Ukraine drone strikes kill five near Moscow, Russia says
Richard Connor with AFP, AP, dpa, ReutersPublished 08/04/2026Published August 4, 2026last updated 08/04/2026last updated August 4, 2026Russian officials say Ukrainian drones have killed five people, hitting industrial and warehouse sites near Moscow and St Petersburg. Meanwhile, a soldier has killed four people in Russian-controlled Crimea.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IEWLWhat you need to know
- Moscow's regional governor says five people were killed in an industrial zone
- A warehouse facility near St Petersburg and a hub belonging to online retailer Wildberries were also said to have been hit
- A serviceman opened fire on fellow soldiers and civilians in Crimea’s Sevastopol, killing four, with motives unclear
- Russia says it hit targets in the Odesa region, while a drone hit a Russian cargo ship
This blog has now closed. Read below for a roundup of the key developments in Russia's war in Ukraine on Tuesday, August 4, 2026: Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add us as a Preferred Source on Google. Then tap the "Star" or "Preferred" to keep DW News at the top of your feed.
Skip next section Poland intercepts Russian spy plane08/04/2026August 4, 2026Poland intercepts Russian spy plane
The Polish Air Force said it had intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
It was the third time within a few days that such a plane had been intercepted, the government said on Tuesday.
The Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft was 56 km (34 miles) northeast of the Polish city of Koszalin, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote in an online post.
Two Polish fighter jets intercepted the aircraft. An air intercept involves pilots making visual contact with the opposing crew and signal that their aircraft should move away.
The defense ministry said Polish airspace had not been violated.
"Russia is once again carrying out provocative actions near the borders of NATO member states, thereby testing the vigilance and operational readiness of the alliance's defense systems," Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote.
Can Poland hold NATO’s line against Russia without the US?
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https://p.dw.com/p/5IH6gSkip next section Four killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine — regional authorities08/04/2026August 4, 2026Four killed in Russian strikes on Ukraine — regional authorities
At least four civilians have been killed in a fresh wave of Russian attacks on cities in northern and southern Ukraine, including two girls aged 5 and 10.
The children and a woman died in Sumy after Russian forces dropped eight guided bombs on the northeastern city, regional military chief Oleh Hryhorov said.
He said six of the bombs hit civilian sites, while Ukrainian forces intercepted two.
Further south, an 89-year-old woman was killed in Mykolaiv and seven other people were wounded, according to regional military governor Heorhii Reshetylov.
The strike also damaged homes and a vehicle.
The attacks come as fighting increasingly reaches far beyond the front line. Russia continues its invasion launched in February 2022, while Ukraine has intensified long-range drone strikes on targets deep inside Russian territory.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IFlpSkip next section Turkey condemns attacks on civilian shipping in Black Sea08/04/2026August 4, 2026Turkey condemns attacks on civilian shipping in Black Sea
Turkey has strongly condemned the growing threat to civilian shipping in the Black Sea after drone attacks on two Turkish-owned vessels left several crew members injured.
The Foreign Ministry said the Yasar and Nadezhda were attacked after leaving the Russian port of Novorossiysk late on Monday, adding that the condition of those wounded was being "closely monitored."
"We are deeply concerned about the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, which is affecting civilian shipping despite our numerous warnings," the ministry said.
Ankara called on both sides to "urgently implement concrete measures to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea," warning that continued attacks could endanger not only commercial shipping but also food supplies.
Turkey has repeatedly raised the alarm over attacks on civilian vessels as Russia and Ukraine step up strikes on shipping in the region.
A Turkish fishing vessel was attacked near Crimea in late June, killing one person and injuring four others.
At the end of May, Ankara warned of an "uncontrolled escalation" in the Black Sea after another Turkish cargo ship was struck by a drone. Ukraine's navy said at the time that a Russian drone had carried out that attack.
Why NATO needs Turkey in the Black Sea
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https://p.dw.com/p/5IFXcSkip next section Ukraine accuses Russia of hunting civilians with drones08/04/2026August 4, 2026Ukraine accuses Russia of hunting civilians with drones
Ukrainian authorities have accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilians after police released video appearing to show a drone chasing a man through the streets of Kherson.
The footage shows a man running around a vehicle as a first-person-view drone follows him before detonating its explosive charge.
Police said the 52-year-old suffered injuries and a concussion.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the incident a "barbaric war crime committed by Russia" and said thousands of similar cases never become public.
"This is a deliberate and systemic Russian strategy. They know exactly what they are doing," he wrote on X.
Ukraine's human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said the man in the video was an "unarmed market vendor."
"The world must watch without looking away," he said. "This is how Russia hunts civilians. If anyone still asks who Russia considers its target, the answer is in this footage.
"This is not war. It is deliberate terror against civilians. It is yet another Russian war crime that must receive a proper international legal assessment."
Kherson, which had around 280,000 residents before the war, was occupied by Russian forces from March to November 2022, after which it was retaken in a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Russian troops are now positioned across the Dnipro River from the city and regularly strike it, including with drones.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IFV6Skip next section Ukraine's former army chief says NATO membership unlikely08/04/2026August 4, 2026Ukraine's former army chief says NATO membership unlikely
Ukraine's former top military commander Valery Zaluzhnyi has said the country is unlikely ever to join NATO, despite membership remaining a constitutional goal.
Zaluzhnyi, now Ukraine's ambassador to Britain, told a meeting of Ukrainian ambassadors that the country's armed forces did not meet the military standards required for membership.
"I know NATO really well. For about 12 years, I personally worked on making sure we met NATO standards, and every year I heard tales about how we would join NATO any day now," Ukrainian media outlet European Pravda quoted him as saying.
"Unfortunately, we will never actually join."
Zaluzhnyi said Ukraine's military remained too far behind in areas including missile defense and space capabilities.
Ukraine has written its ambition to join both NATO and the European Union into its constitution, although Kyiv has acknowledged that not all NATO members currently support its accession.
Zaluzhnyi was dismissed as Ukraine's commander-in-chief in 2024 after disagreements with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the conduct of the war with Russia. He remains one of Ukraine's most trusted public figures, with opinion polls putting him roughly level with Zelenskyy.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IFNGSkip next section Russia says it struck Ukrainian ports and cargo ships08/04/2026August 4, 2026Russia says it struck Ukrainian ports and cargo ships
Russia's Defense Ministry says its forces have carried out a series of strikes on Ukrainian ports and vessels it claimed were carrying military cargo.
The ministry said precision weapons and drones hit targets in the southwestern Odesa region, including the Chornomorsk Automotive Components Plant and a port terminal in Chornomorsk.
It claimed Ukrainian forces were using the sites to repair military vehicles and store ammunition and fuel.
Russia also said two dry-cargo ships were struck in the ports of Mykolaiv and Pivdennyi.
The ministry subsequently said two more dry-cargo vessels were hit at sea south of Odesa while transporting weapons and military equipment to Ukrainian ports.
https://p.dw.com/p/5IEkUSkip next section Three seriously injured in drone strike on cargo ship08/04/2026August 4, 2026Three seriously injured in drone strike on cargo ship
Three crew members have been seriously injured after a cargo ship was hit in a drone attack near Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, according to Turkey's maritime authority.
The roll-on/roll-off vessel Nadezhda was sailing from Novorossiysk to the northern Turkish port of Samsun when it came under attack on Monday around 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) offshore.
All 22 crew members were evacuated to Russia, including the three seriously injured sailors.
A fire was still burning in the bow of the vessel after the attack, the Turkish authority said.
Ukraine targets key Russian shipping routes
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https://p.dw.com/p/5IElQSkip next section Four killed in Sevastopol shooting08/04/2026August 4, 2026Four killed in Sevastopol shooting
Four people have been killed after a serviceman opened fire in the Russian-controlled Crimean city of Sevastopol, according to the Moscow-installed governor.
Mikhail Razvozhayev said the attacker first shot at fellow servicemen, killing one and injuring another.
The gunman then turned his weapon on civilians, killing three more people, Razvozhayev wrote on the messaging platform Telegram.
The attacker was detained, he said.
The serviceman's nationality and motive were not immediately clear.
Sevastopol was illegally innexed by Russia in 2014 alongside the rest of the Crimean Peninsula
https://p.dw.com/p/5IEjOSkip next section Ukrainian drone strikes kill five near Moscow08/04/2026August 4, 2026Ukrainian drone strikes kill five near Moscow
Ukrainian drone attacks have killed five people and injured at least seven others in Russia, striking industrial and warehouse sites near Moscow and St Petersburg.
Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov said several fires broke out after drones hit the Novoselki industrial zone outside the capital.
"According to preliminary information, five people were killed and a further six wounded," he said on Telegram.
A warehouse also caught fire in the attack before firefighters brought the blaze under control.
Near St Petersburg, drones damaged a warehouse facility in Krasny Bor, injuring one person, Leningrad regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko said.
The Leningrad region surrounds the city of St Petersburg but does not include it.
Russian online retailer Wildberries later said its logistics center there had caught fire as a result of the strike, but reported no casualties among its staff.
Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks on targets inside Russia in recent weeks, including logistics sites and warehouses.
No safe place in Russia?
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https://p.dw.com/p/5IEahSkip next section Welcome to our coverage08/04/2026August 4, 2026Moscow's regional governor says Ukrainian drones struck the Novoselki industrial zone outside the Russian capital.
Five people are reported to have been killed, with other industrial and warehouse sites near Russia's two largest cities also hit.
Russian online retailer Wildberries says one of its facilities was among those hit and caught fire as a result.
Meanwhile, four people have been killed in a mysterious shooting in the Russian-controlled Crimean city of Sevastopol, according to a Moscow-installed official.
Stay with us for the latest on these stories and other developments in Russia's war in Ukraine.
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