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After the grain deal was suspended on July 17, Ukrainian conflict escalated and the warring sides increased the number of their strikes in the enemy rear areas. Kiev continues targeting Crimes, while the Russian military continues destroying military infrastructure throughout Ukraine, mainly hitting the Ukrainian ports with retaliation strikes.
In response to the attack on the Crimean Bridge, on the night of July 18, Russian forces launched massive strikes with Geran-2 UAVs and Kalibr cruise missiles at targets in southern Ukraine. In Odessa, the bases of unmanned boats, port infrastructure and an oil depot were destroyed. In Nikolaev, several drones hit the oil terminal of the seaport.
In its turn, Kiev attempted another massive drone attack on the Republic of Crimea. Russian air defense forces and electronic warfare units successfully shot down all 28 UAVs on their approach to the peninsula.
On July 19, Russian retaliation strikes continued. At night, explosions sounded in the capital of Ukraine Kiev, in Ukraine-controlled Zaporozhye, Kharkiv, the Dnipropetrovsk and Zhitomir regions.
Russian UAVs near Kiev:
Explosion reported in the Zhitomir region
The main targets were again Ukrainian ports in the Odessa region.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet given official comments. However, footage from the spot confirms that massive strikes led to significant destruction.
The authorities in the Odessa region said that as a result of the night shelling of Odessa, tanks and equipment for loading grain and oil terminals in the port were damaged. In addition, in the Odessa region, rockets hit an industrial facility and two warehouses, Ukrainian media reported.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military continues to proudly count downed missiles. Surprisingly, today, they finally admitted that not all of them were shot down:
Critical infrastructure and military facilities were attacked, the main direction of the strike is the Odessa region, the Ukrainain Air Force reported.
During several waves of attacks, the Russian military used:
- 16 “Calibers”, presumably from the small rocket ship “Ingushetia” and the frigate “Admiral Essen” from the Black Sea. 13 were shot down.
- 8 X-22 cruise missiles from Tu-22M3 aircraft in the Black Sea. Not a single one was shot down.
- 6 Onyx cruise missiles from the Bastion coastal missile system in Crimea. Not a single one was shot down.
- 1 X-59 guided aviation missile from a Su-35 fighter from the Black Sea. Shot down.
- 32 Shaheed UAVs from the Chauda landfill (Crimea) and Primorsko-Akhtarsk (Rostov region). 23 shot down.
Despite the statements of the Ukrainian military, the number of explosions demonstrates the feeble work of the Ukrainian air defense, which fails to cope with Rusian missiles and UAVs.
The Russian Armed Forces launched massive strikes with Kalibr, X-22 cruise missiles and kamikaze drones on the city of Odessa, where the destruction of the port infrastructure, oil storage facilities, warehouses with ammunition and equipment continues. According to unconfirmed information, the storage facility with surface naval drones was also hit.
Large fires were reported on the Shkolny military airfield located on the outskirts of Odessa. The fire also broke out in the industrial zone adjacent to the airport and the territory of the railway station with an oil depot.
There were also strikes on the Ilyichevsk sea port in the Odessa region. Russian missiles reportedly struck the positions of the Ukrainian air defense in the Raduzhny microdistrict in Odessa. Strikes were also reported near the village of Katovskoho.
Missiles launched from Crimea:
In its turn, Kiev continued its attacks on Crimea. After the last massive UAV strike on the peninsula failed, an ammunition depot exploded in the Crimea at a landfill in the Kirovsky district on the night of June 19,.
The military facility was struck by a missile or was blown up by a sabotage group. Some sources report that it was hit by the Thunder-2 (Hrim) missile. Previously, Russian forces have intercepted such missiles over the eastern part of the peninsula. However, given the increased air defenses in the region, it is more likely that a Storm Shadow missile could be used in the attack. Russian military officials have not yet commented on the incident.
An operational headquarters for the elimination of emergencies was created on the spot, it was headed by the head of the Crimean Republic. Civilians were evacuated from four villages located nearby, including Privetnoe, Aivazovskoye, Abrikosovka and Krinichki located on both sides of the Tavrida highway. Approximately 2,225 civilians were evacuated to temporary accommodation facilities. The Tavrida highway in Crimea was temporarily partially blocked due to a fire at the landfill, the head of the republic said.
The ongoing escalation is the result of Kiev’s diplomatic and military failures. Ukraine lost the grain deal while its counter offensive resulted in Russian advances on the front lines.
