Key facts
- Ukraine's General Staff reported striking two Russian tankers in the Black Sea and a floating crane in the Azov Sea.
- A Soviet-era Buk air defense system in occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast was also targeted.
- The strikes are part of Ukraine's strategy to degrade Russia's war machine through long-range drone attacks.
- Russia claimed to have intercepted 140 Ukrainian drones overnight.
- A road bridge east of occupied Pokrovsk was also struck.
Ukraine's General Staff announced on July 19 that long-range drone strikes had hit two Russian tankers in the Black Sea and a floating crane in the Azov Sea overnight. The military body also reported targeting a Soviet-era Buk air defense system in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Russia has not yet responded to these claims. The Kyiv Independent stated it could not independently verify the reported attacks or their extent of damage. The Russian Defense Ministry asserted that it had downed 140 Ukrainian drones across various locations overnight. The General Staff stated that the Ukrainian military would continue its systematic measures against Russia's aggression. Monitoring channels had previously reported Ukrainian strikes on an oil depot in Russia's Stavropol Krai, as well as targets in occupied Crimea and Luhansk Oblast, during the same night. These reported attacks align with Ukraine's increasing use of long-range drones against Russian-occupied territories and within Russia, aiming to weaken the Russian war effort. Assessing the precise impact of these strikes on Russian military operations remains challenging. Throughout July, Ukraine has conducted operations against Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Black Sea and Azov Sea, reportedly hitting numerous vessels to disrupt logistics to and from occupied Crimea amid a worsening fuel crisis on the peninsula. In the same Facebook post, the General Staff also mentioned striking a road bridge east of occupied Pokrovsk in eastern Donetsk Oblast, which is reportedly used by Russian troops to support their offensive operations in the area.