Kieran Kelly
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Progress on the battlefield

Russia advanced on average 1.22 sq km per day in July, according to a recent report by, external Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The ISW says that Russia's rate of advance has remained largely unchanged since February 2026 and that its summer offensive - launched the following month - has "failed to make any operationally significant gains".

Casualty rates

Russia reportedly suffered its highest monthly casualty rate of the war in July, with the Ukrainian army estimating 42,860 Russian casualties. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied Ukrainian casualty estimates.

The BBC's Russian service, working with Mediazona, has confirmed 236,066 Russian military deaths between 24 Feb 2022 and 26 July 2026.

For Ukrainian soldiers, President Volodymyr Zelensky last acknowledged 55,000 deaths in February 2026.

Recruitment struggles

Ukraine is continuing to struggle to recruit enough men to fight in the war, with the country's military ombudswoman reporting "regular" attacks against recruitment officers as a "major problem".

Russia, meanwhile, is increasingly turning to universities to boost recruitment. BBC Russian found evidence of recruitment activity in at least 95 universities and colleges by late February.

It started when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its neighbour on 24 February 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his goal was to "demilitarise and denazify" Ukraine - he has repeatedly painted the country as a Nazi state. Our explainer looks at the distortions and untruths that Russia has previously spread about Nazis in Ukraine.

The Russian leader has long questioned Ukraine's right to exist, claiming that "modern Ukraine was entirely created by Russia" after the communist revolution in 1917.

In February 2022, troops moved in quickly, accompanied by dozens of missile strikes on cities across Ukraine.

Within a few weeks, Russia was in control of large areas of eastern, northern and southern Ukraine - and had advanced to the suburbs of the capital Kyiv.

However, they met a strong Ukrainian resistance - and by November 2022 the picture had changed dramatically. Ukraine had regained ground in the north and Russia failed to take Kyiv.

Since then, progress on both sides has slowed. In recent months, Russia has been gradually expanding the amount of territory controls - particularly in the east - but gains have been minimal.

Yaroslava Kiryukhina
BBC Russian

Image source, Reuters

Between 17% and 22% of Wildberries' total logistics space had been affected by drone attacks by 2 August, according to an estimate by the research agency Data Insight published by Forbes Russia.

The agency calculated that between 893,000 and 1.15 million square metres of warehouse space had been damaged. Wildberries' parent company, RWB, has previously said its logistics infrastructure covers about 5.2 million square metres.

This does not mean that a fifth of the company's warehouses has been completely destroyed. Some facilities suffered only partial damage, and several have since resumed operations.

The independent Russian outlet Vyorstka produced a higher estimate of about 27%, but it used a different method. It counted the full size of every warehouse that was hit, rather than only the parts believed to have been damaged.

New footage shows fire and smoke over Wildberries warehousepublished at 12:36 BST

12:36 BST

Image source, Supernova+

By Shayan Sardarizadeh

Footage posted on social media shows smoke rising from a Wildberries warehouse in Russia’s Vladimir region following an apparent Ukrainian drone attack today.

The video, filmed from a passing vehicle on a motorway, shows a fire burning and a thick column of black smoke billowing from the complex.

The warehouse is about 160km (100 miles) east of the Russian capital, Moscow.

Earlier, we verified a video showing a drone striking close to the warehouse.

Image source, Reuters

For those just joining us, here's a quick recap of what we know so far:

• An apparent Ukrainian drone has hit a warehouse for Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries - often described as "Russia's Amazon"
• It follows a number of attacks on Wildberries warehouses and logistics hubs across Russia since mid-July
• In the past few days, deadly aerial attacks have intensified between Russia and Ukraine, with hundreds of drones intercepted by both countries in the last 24 hours
• Three ships carrying military goods in Ukraine's part of the Black Sea have been struck by Russian drones, according to Russia's defence ministry
• A special task force has been set up by Russia to navigate the "tense situation in the Sea of Azov" - a strategic route for Russian grain exports

Stick with us as we continue to bring the latest updates and analysis.

Image source, Reuters

Ongoing attacks on warehouses belonging to Wildberries have led to the company making support payments to victims and merchants whose products were damaged, the online retailer said last week.

A statement last Tuesday said over 40m rubles (£373,000) of financial compensation has been paid by the company to "seriously injured" personnel and the families of those who have died.

It added in a statement two days later that more than 97,000 small and medium-sized businesses had received support in a second round of payments, with over 88,000 merchants being supported in an initial round.

Wildberries, widely described as "Russia's Amazon", employs about 48,000 staff. Both statements were made before further strikes on the company's warehouses over the weekend - including one in the Vladimir region.

Verified videos show strikes on nine Wildberries sitespublished at 11:49 BST

11:49 BST

By Thomas Copeland

BBC Verify has been tracking Ukraine’s campaign of strikes against Wildberries warehouses and logistics hubs across Russia since mid-July.

So far we’ve verified footage showing nine of these strikes:

• 18 July: Kotovsk
• 20 July: Koledino
• 22 July: Nevinnomyssk
• 22 July: Krasnodar
• 24 July: St Petersburg
• 25 July: Yekaterinburg
• 29 July: Ryazan
• 2 August: Novosemeykino
• 3 August: Khryastovo

Wildberries strikes are bringing the war closer to Russianspublished at 11:22 BST

11:22 BST

Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor

To many Russians, until recently, war was something happening far away; something that didn’t seem to impact their lives.

That’s changing.

Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries have sparked a summer fuel shortage in many parts of Russia.

Now the targeting of Wildberries warehouses is bringing the war closer to home.

Wildberries is Russia’s largest online retailer, accounting for just over 50% of all online orders in the country.

Recently the company’s CEO Tatiana Kim claimed that "every person in Russia" uses it. That’s tens of millions of Russian customers potentially facing disruption because of Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries hubs.

Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of sellers who use the online platform. For them the strikes are making an already difficult economic situation even worse. Some small businesses have watched their stock go up in smoke.

Image source, Getty Images

Three people have been killed by falling drone debris, says the governor of Krasnador Krai.

In a post on Telegram, Veniamin Kondratiev says preliminary reports suggest 13 people, including children, were also injured in the area which is in south-west Russia.

Kondratiev adds the attack "targeted civilian infrastructure".

Image source, COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2/Reuters

Russia says it is stepping up protection of ships in the Azov-Black Sea basin following Ukranian drone attacks on its maritime vessels.

In response to what it describes as the "tense situation in the Sea of Azov", the Russian transport ministry says it has set up a special task force to coordinate transportation, redirect cargo and find alternative routes.

Together with the defence ministry, it says additional measures are being taken to "ensure the safety of navigation and protect maritime vessels in the Azov-Black Sea basin".

It comes as both sides continue to escalate attacks at sea, with Russia reporting strikes on three ships carrying military goods in Ukraine's part of the Black Sea on Monday.

For context: The Sea of Azov is an inland sea linked to the Black Sea by the Kerch Strait, which sits between the Moscow-annexed Crimea and Russia. The route is used by Russia for around a quarter of its grain exports.

Sofia Volyanova, Yaroslava Kiryukhina, Amalia Zatari and Tatiana Kovtun
BBC News Russian

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Supporting small and medium-sized businesses, many of which depend on online marketplaces like Wildberries, has been among Vladimir Putin's priorities even in wartime.

It has been framed as a backbone of resilience in the face of Western sanctions.

But the Russian state has been unable to shield the sector from the war's impact, and there have been several shocks to businesses since the start of the year.

VAT went up from 20% to 22% in January, with extra funding earmarked for defence - and tax breaks for some businesses were scrapped.

Some 209,000 small and medium-sized companies closed in the first quarter of 2026, according to business intelligence platform Kontur.Fokus. That is 9% more than in the first three months of 2025.

"I've lost 1m roubles (£9,500; $12,700)... We're already getting screwed over from every direction as it is," one woman complained in an expletive-laden social media post that went viral.

• Read more on how businesses in Russia are coping during the war

Image source, Reuters

Wildberries is Russia's biggest online retailer, and is often described as "Russia's Amazon".

Founded: 2004.

USP: It connects independent sellers with buyers across Russia, storing and delivering their goods, and handling payments.

CEO: Tatyana Kim, one of Russia's first female billionaires.

Staff: About 48,000.

Value: The merged RWB group, which combines Wildberries with advertising company Russ, was valued at about $12.6bn (£9.3bn) by Forbes Russia in 2026.

Involvement in the war: Ukraine has hit a number of Wildberries logistics hubs, describing them as legitimate targets because they provide the Russian military with drone components, navigation equipment and other gear. Russia denies this.

Video shows drone hitting Wildberries warehouse sitepublished at 10:05 BST

10:05 BST

By Fridon Kiria and Shayan Sardarizadeh

BBC Monitoring and BBC Verify have authenticated footage showing the moment an apparent Ukrainian drone struck a major Russian Wildberries warehouse this morning.

The video, filmed in the car park of a Wildberries warehouse in Khryastovo, Vladimir region, shows a blast and a subsequent fire near the complex.

BBC Verify has confirmed that the footage is recent and has not been manipulated with generative AI.

Image source, Zelenskiy / Official

Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange deadly strikes over the weekend, with both sides intensifying attacks targeting major cities, energy facilities and warehouses.

On Saturday, at least nine people were killed and dozens injured in Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Fires broke out across the city and power cuts were reported in some areas, with Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko reporting that a residential building in Shevchenkivskyi was partially destroyed, trapping people inside.

Separately, Ukrainian drones sank a Russian-owned container ship in the Black Sea on Saturday. Moscow said all 17 crew were rescued.

Strikes continued into Sunday as Ukraine said it had carried out overnight attacks on a major oil refinery and an airfield that houses Russian strategic aviation in the Saratov region,some 600km (373miles) from Ukraine's border.

Russia said eight people were killed in the Ukrainian strikes, and 635 drones were shot down or intercepted. It also reported another strike on a warehouse of Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries.

Meanwhile, Moscow said on Sunday its forces had attacked overnight two Ukrainian ports and two vessels in the Black Sea.

Ukraine's general staff says 163 Russian drones were shot down from attacks that started yesterday evening.

In a post on Telegram, Ukraine's military adds the strikes were repelled by its air defences, but that 13 locations were hit.

Russia's defence ministry says they intercepted 131 aerial attacks from Ukraine.

Four people, including a child, were killed in Ukrainian strikes on Russia's Belgorod region on Sunday, according to the area's governor.

Alexander Shuvaev says Kyiv has launched 94 attacks on the region in the past 24 hours, including one which caused a social facility and two warehouses to catch fire.

Shuvaev says no one was killed in this attack, but adds that other casualties have been reported following Ukrainian strikes in a number of other Russian districts.

This includes the Valuysky and Grayvoronsky districts, where four people including a child were killed, he says.

Meanwhile, 17 people including three children, were injured in the Belgorod, Valuy, Graivoron and Korocha districts, he adds.

The regional governor says Russia has intercepted 159 drones in Belgorod over the last 24 hours.

Image source, Reuters

Ukraine has now hit at least a dozen Wildberries warehouses in Russia since mid-July.

Most are located across western Russia, away from the front lines of the war in Ukraine.

In the past two weeks, strikes have hit locations including Khryastovo, Novosemeikino, Sarapul, Ryazan and Shushary. Previous strikes include attacks on Elektrostal, Tambov, Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk.

It's part of a recent campaign by Ukraine of long-range strikes against Russian infrastructure - including energy facilities, as well as Wildberries warehouses.

Kyiv has described the warehouses as legitimate targets that "supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment" for the Russian military.

Following strikes at the end of July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "We are, quite justly, bringing the war back home - to Russia."

The Kremlin has denied that online platforms are used for army supplies, but a variety of military-related goods such as body armour are on sale, alongside items with both civilian and drone-production applications.

Image source, Getty Images

Russia has hit three ships carrying military goods in Ukraine's part of the Black Sea, and one cargo vessel in the port of Mykolaiv, according to Russia's defence ministry.

The defence ministry says in a statement on Telegram that Russian drones have continued to launch strikes against the transport infrastructure of Ukraine overnight.

As well as the apparent Ukrainian strike on a Russian warehouse in the Vladimir region, both sides are reporting other attacks.

In Russia-controlled Crimea, three people have been killed and two others injured in a Ukrainian attack, according to the region's Russia-installed governor.

In a statement on Telegram, Sergei Aksyonov says he sends his condolences to the families of those killed in the "barbaric attack", and adds that the authorities will provide assistance to those who are injured.

Image source, Social media

A fire at a warehouse belonging to Russia's biggest online retailer, caused by a drone strike, has left three people injured, a regional governor says.

Alexander Avdeyev says the facility in Russia's Vladimir region has been damaged and people have been evacuated. The warehouse owner, Wildberries, says firefighters are working at the scene.

In recent weeks, Ukraine has hit a number of Wildberries logistics hubs, describing them as legitimate targets because they provide the Russian military with drone components, navigation equipment and other gear.

Reports of the strike come as Russia claims to have hit three military cargo ships belonging to Ukraine in the Black Sea.

Meanwhile, Crimea's Russia-appointed governor Sergei Aksyonov is reporting three casualties from overnight strikes in the region.

We'll have all the news and analysis from across the region on this page.

Image source, Telegram