The Russian military has carried out a new wave of massive air strikes against key civilian and logistical infrastructure in southern Ukraine.
As of 18:00 Bulgarian time on August 2, official authorities confirmed the death of a civilian in an attack with a guided aerial bomb in Zaporizhia, as well as serious material damage to civilian vessels after an attack with kamikaze „Shahed“ drones in Nikolaev region.
In an official statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that the country's air defenses show extremely high efficiency against cruise missiles and drones, but ballistics remains unresolved and critical problem.
Zelensky: We successfully shoot down cruise missiles and drones, but we do not have Patriot for ballistics
In his evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took stock of anti-aircraft operations. According to data from the Air Force, cited by the head of state, Ukrainian calculations managed to massively neutralize Russian cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles of the “Shahed“ type.
However, the problem remains protection against hypersonic and ballistic threats. According to Zelensky, Ukraine is experiencing a chronic shortage of anti-aircraft guided missiles for the “Patriot“ systems, which leaves a number large cities vulnerable to Russian missiles “Iskander“ and “Zircon“. (Source: Telegram channel of Volodymyr Zelenskiy - t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
"Shahed" drones attacked a port in the Nikolaev region: Civilian ships were damaged
In the afternoon of August 2, Russian forces carried out two consecutive attacks with "Shahed" drones against the port infrastructure in the Nikolaev region. The attack was aimed directly at logistics facilities.
Georgy Reshetilov, acting head of the Nikolaev regional military administration, reported that as a result of the explosions, two civilian ships located in the port area were seriously damaged. According to preliminary data, there were no injuries or deaths among the crews and port workers. (Source: report of the Mykolaiv OAO, published on the Official News Portal of “Ukrainska Pravda“ - pravda.com.ua)
Guided Bomb Strike in Zaporozhye: One Dead and Injured
In parallel with the attack on the Black Sea coast, the Russian aviation carried out a heavy strike with a guided bomb (GAB) on the city of Zaporozhye. A residential area was hit, which caused local fires and destruction of buildings.
The head of the Zaporozhye Regional Military Administration, Ivan Fedorov, confirmed that one person died as a result of the air strike. There are also wounded civilians who are currently receiving emergency medical care. Rescue teams from the State Emergency Service continue to work on the ground to clear the debris. (Source: Official channel of Ivan Fedorov in Telegram - t.me/ivan_fedorov_zap)
Context and escalation of air terror
Experts note that in the summer of 2026, the Russian Federation will intensify the use of combined tactics - simultaneously launching cheap drones to exhaust air defenses and striking with heavy guided bombs and ballistic missiles at rear cities and economic centers. Kiev continues to insist on international partners to accelerate the delivery of anti-missile complexes, as security in the Black Sea region and shipping remain under constant risk.