Ukraine war latest: Video shows Russian drone attack on civilian in Kherson as more Wildberries warehouses hit

Key developments on Aug. 4:

• Russian drone seen targeting vegetable seller at Kherson market in horrific footage
• Ukraine reportedly strikes Wildberries warehouses near Moscow, St. Petersburg, as Syzran oil refinery burns
• US unlikely to reach Patriot co-production deal with Ukraine before winter, NATO envoy says
• Ukraine will 'never' join NATO, ex-commander Zaluzhnyi says
• Zelensky signs new law giving full rights to former convict soldiers in army
• Over 8,300 glide bombs dropped by Russia on Ukraine in July in record figure since full-scale invasion, military says

A vegetable seller in Kherson survived being taunted and then hit by a Russian first-person view (FPV) drone as he set up his market stall in Kherson on Aug. 4, Kherson Oblast Police said on Aug. 4.

The attack was captured on camera and shows the drone circling and chasing the man, identified as 52-year-old Yurii, before diving towards him and exploding.

"I was showing the drone, 'Look there are vegetables' but it started flying right at me," he said later in an interview from hospital posted by the Kherson Oblast military administration. He suffered shrapnel wounds and a concussion during the attack.

The video was widely circulated on social media as yet another example of what has been dubbed the "human safari," a now years-long practice whereby Russian drone operators hone their skills on civilians before they are deployed to fight in Ukraine's east.

Kherson Oblast Police spokesman Andrii Kovanyi told the Kyiv Independent that such scenes have been a daily occurrence in Kherson over the last two years, though few are caught on camera in such detail.

Russian forces do, however, regularly publish their own footage recorded by the drones despite the deliberate targeting of civilians constituting a war crime under international law.

Ukraine reportedly strikes Wildberries warehouses near Moscow, St. Petersburg, as Syzran oil refinery burns

Ukraine's military launched a wide-ranging drone attack on Russia overnight on Aug. 4, reportedly striking logistics and oil infrastructure in various regions of the country, with casualties also reported in Krasnodar Krai, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

Photos and videos posted to social media by local residents appear to show thick black smoke rising from a Wildberries logistics hub in the city of Chekhov in Moscow Oblast, located approximately 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of the Kremlin. Ukrainian drones were seen flying over the city ahead of the strike.

Moscow Oblast Governor Andrey Vorobyov reported that several drone strikes were recorded in the Novosyolki industrial zone. The governor further claimed that five people were killed and six others injured in the attack.

Later into the morning, smoke was also reportedly seen rising at a Wildberries warehouse in the community of Krasny Bor in Leningrad Oblast. The town is located approximately 33 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of St. Petersburg.

Separately, a drone crashed onto a crowded beach near the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka in Russia's southern Krasnodar Krai, killing seven people, including three children, according to regional authorities. Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said another 40 people were injured, 17 of whom were hospitalized.

US unlikely to reach Patriot co-production deal with Ukraine before winter, NATO envoy says

Washington is unlikely to reach an agreement with Ukraine on the joint production of Patriot interceptor missiles before this winter, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in a Fox News interview aired on Aug. 3.

"A long-term production agreement will not be concluded before this winter. So we will continue working on it," Whitaker said.

Whitaker said PAC-3 Patriot interceptors remain subject to strict U.S. export controls.

"We do not allow anybody but U.S. manufacturers to make those in the United States," he said.

At the same time, he said Washington is exploring broader defense cooperation with Ukraine and its European allies.

"There are co-production opportunities that we can do with the Ukrainians, that we can do with the Europeans, to increase the industrial base and support the defense of Ukraine and the defense of Europe," Whitaker said.

Until such an agreement is reached, Whitaker said it is a priority to ensure Ukraine has air defense capabilities ahead of winter "as quickly as possible," either through deliveries from allies with surplus missiles or by increasing production at U.S. facilities.

Ukraine will 'never' join NATO, ex-commander Zaluzhnyi says

Ukraine will never become a member of NATO despite years of pursuing accession, Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.K. and former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said on Aug. 3.

Speaking at a meeting of Ukrainian ambassadors in Kyiv, Zaluzhnyi argued that NATO's military standards have fallen behind the realities of modern warfare and suggested Ukraine should instead pursue future European security alliances.

"I personally worked to ensure that we adopted NATO standards, and every year, I heard stories about how we were just about to join NATO. Unfortunately, we will never join it," Zaluzhnyi said.

According to Zaluzhnyi, one of the main obstacles is that NATO's standards are outdated.

"It is impossible for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, given their current level of development, to join an organization that is guided by World War II doctrines," he said.

He added that it would take the alliance "about 12 years" to adopt new standards "to at least reach half the level of the Russian Federation."

Instead of NATO membership, Zaluzhnyi said Ukraine should focus on emerging regional security arrangements.

Zelensky signs new law giving full rights to former convict soldiers in army

Ukrainian soldiers who volunteered to fight out of the country's prison system will be given rights equal to any other service members, according to a new law signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 4.

The law guarantees new rights, including 15 days of annual leave, access to proper medical care after injury, and the ability to transfer between units after one year of service or earlier for health reasons.

The law also grants female service members the right to maternity and childcare leave.

Ukrainian prisoners have been able to fight in the military voluntarily, in exchange for amnesty at the end of martial law, since May 2024, after relevant legislation passed by parliament and signed by Zelensky made it possible.

The changes unlocked the country's prison population as a crucial source of much-needed manpower, especially in infantry roles, at a time when forced mobilization was picking up steam across the country.

Over 8,300 glide bombs dropped by Russia on Ukraine in July in record figure since full-scale invasion, military says

Russian forces launched more than 8,300 air-dropped glide bombs against Ukraine in July, the highest monthly figure on record, the Defense Ministry said on Aug. 4, citing General Staff figures.

The often inaccurate but devastating weapon — to which Ukraine has no reliable counter — is used not only against military targets on the front line but increasingly against built-up residential areas in relatively safe cities further back, resulting in climbing civilian casualties.

The number passes the previous record of 8,266 set the previous month, the ministry said.

Russian guided aerial bombs, often called KABs (Kerovana Aviabomba) in Ukraine, are repurposed aerial bombs equipped with wings and precision guidance systems such as GPS, laser, or infrared targeting.

Unlike traditional free-fall bombs, KABs can glide tens of kilometers before impact, allowing Russian aircraft — typically the Su-34 — to release them from a distance, safe from the operating range of Ukrainian air defense missiles or fighters.