The brunt of Russia’s massive night missile and drone attack on the night of 19 July hit Odesa Oblast.
Particularly, the grain infrastructure of international and Ukrainian traders and carriers Kernel, Viterra, and CMA CGM Group was damaged in the port cities of Odesa and Chornomorsk, Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov said.
This attack happened two days after Russia withdrew from the “grain deal,” a UN-brokered arrangement allowing to export Ukrainian grain through Black Sea ports.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia deliberately targeted the infrastructure of the “grain deal” in the attack. He stated he had instructed the military to increase the protection of people and port infrastructure, and Ukrainian diplomats – to work to ensure the continued exports of Ukrainian grain.
Ukraine has been facing increased Russian strikes over the last two days. On 18 June, Putin’s spokesman Peskov explicitly stated that the attacks are revenge for a marine drone strike on the Crimea bridge, which disabled one of its sections on the previous day.
And on the night of 19 July, Ukraine came under a massive attack, the likes of which it had not seen for many weeks. Russians attacked Ukrainian cities with 16 Kalibr cruise missiles, eight Kh-22 missiles, six Oniks cruise missiles, one Kh-59 missile, and 32 Shahed-136/131 drones, Ukrainian Air Force reported.
In several waves of attacks, the Russian army launched:
- 16 Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles, allegedly from the Ingushetia missile ship and the frigate Admiral Essen from the Black Sea
- Eight Kh-22 cruise missiles from Tu-22M3 long-range aircraft from the Black Sea
- Six Oniks cruise missiles from the Bastion coastal missile system (Crimea)
- One Kh-59 guided missile from a Su-35 fighter jet from the Black Sea
- 32 Shahed-136/131 drones from the Chauda training ground (Crimea) and Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Russia’s Rostov Oblast)
Air defense forces destroyed 37 aerial targets, including 13 Kalibr missiles, one Kh-59 aircraft missile, 23 Shahed-136/131 drones.
The Russian attack on Zhytomyr Oblast damaged an infrastructure facility, the head of Zhytomyr Oblast Military Administration, Vitalii Bunechko, said in his TG channel.
According to Oleksandr Prokudin, Head of the Kherson Oblast Administration, a cultural center building and a two-story residential building were damaged in a Shahed drone attack on Kherson. One woman was rescued from the rubble of her home, Prokudin added.
Additionally, at least 11 civilians were injured in Odesa, the Head of the Odesa Oblast Administration, Oleh Kiper, said.
Kirovohrad region was under a missile attack, with no civilian casualties or damage to civilian facilities, Andrii Raikovych, the Head of Kirovohrad Oblast Administration, said.
Ukrainian air defense shoots down two Shahed-136 drones over Mykolaiv Oblast. The recreational facilities of the Kobleve hromada were on fire following the fall of debris. Mykolaiv Military Administration reported that two civilians were injured and one was hospitalized.
The Kyiv City Military Administration reported that the Russian army attacked the capital with Iranian-made Shahed drones. Air defense detected and destroyed all drones on the outskirts of Kyiv. Preliminary, without casualties or damage.
