Wildberries strikes light up sky 1000km inside Russia as Zelensky ‘reveals’ wartime death tolls

Day 1,620. 

Today, we report on another weekend of intense military activity: from renewed strikes on Wildberries warehouses – so severe that the company's owner and CEO Tatyana Kim was compelled to issue a public statement – to assassination attempts and a bombing at a Moscow restaurant. Plus, drone strikes on Russian positions in Crimea and a brutal attack on Kyiv that reveals the city's vulnerability to ballistic missile strikes. Dom and Francis also examine the latest casualty figures claimed by President Zelensky, the evolving US position on Ukraine, and what the new adaptation of The Odyssey might be trying to say about how modern warfare is having a corrosive effect on contemporary society.

Contributors: 

Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.

Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.

Senior Producer: Lilian Fawcett

Video Producer: Sophie O’Sullivan

Social Producer: Tom Steed

Studio Director: Meghan Searle

Executive Editor: Francis Dearnley

Created by David Knowles

NOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:

Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest  

CONTENT REFERENCED:

If you’re interested in sponsoring Dom’s upcoming defence event, email our colleagues at events@telegraph.co.uk

James Kilner on the true significance of the Wildberries attacks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_UYWPnaFRM&t=835s 

Ukraine only able to intercept one of 27 Russian missiles aimed at Kyiv (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/01/ukraine-only-able-intercept-one-27-russian-missiles-kyiv/ 

Trump backtracks on promise to give Ukraine Patriot blueprints (The Telegraph):

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/07/31/trump-backtracks-promise-ukraine-patriot-blueprints/  

'Nature of the threats has changed' — Kyiv removes protective structures from city monuments (Kyiv Independent)

https://kyivindependent.com/kyiv-to-remove-protective-coverings-over-monuments/?mc_cid=f58d6cc26e&mc_eid=08d0680a95 

Zelensky Updates NSDC Roster Amid Government Reshuffle (Kyiv Post):

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/81516 

Tulsi Gabbard and her guru (The Washington Post):

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/06/21/tulsi-gabbard-her-guru-mysterious-messages-that-helped-shape-her-political-career/ 

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Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.

Thumbnail image credit: X/@bayraktar_1love

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Wildberries strikes light up the sky 1000km inside Russia 
• Zelensky ‘reveals’ wartime death tolls

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