Skip next section What you need to know
What 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
Here is a roundup of the key developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine on Tuesday, March 4, 2026:
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Skip next section Ukraine’s former army chief says NATO membership unlikely08/04/2026August 4, 2026
Ukraine’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, 2026
Russia 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, 2026
Three 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.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5IElQSkip next section Four killed in Sevastopol shooting08/04/2026August 4, 2026
Four 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, 2026
Ukrainian 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.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5IEahSkip next section Welcome to our coverage08/04/2026August 4, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Moscow’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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