On the night of 19 July, the Ukrainian Armed Forces« Unmanned Systems Forces announced that they had struck 59 Russian targets, including two tankers, a dry cargo ship, a floating crane and 13 energy facilities. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that two tankers in the Black Sea and a floating crane in the Sea of Azov had been struck, as well as a »Buk’ air defence system and a bridge in the occupied territories.
Briefly about the main points
- The Security Service of Ukraine reported that 59 targets had been struck during the night of 19 July.
- The maritime targets listed include two tankers, a dry cargo ship and a floating crane.
- The General Staff has confirmed the presence of two tankers in the Black Sea and a floating crane in the Sea of Azov.
- The SBS reported that 13 energy hubs had been affected.
- The General Staff also reported a strike on a «Buk» air defence system and a bridge.
Maritime targets and their purpose
Commander of the SSF Robert Brovdi, known as «Madyar», reported that during the operation, the Ukrainian military had struck two tankers, a dry cargo ship and a floating crane. The SBS classified these vessels as belonging to the so-called Russian «shadow fleet».
In its statement, the General Staff explicitly confirmed that two tankers in the Black Sea and a floating crane in the Sea of Azov had been hit. According to data According to the General Staff, the tankers were transporting Russian oil, petroleum products and fuel on behalf of the Russian Armed Forces, whilst the floating cranes were supporting port operations and maritime logistics for the Russian army.
The General Staff’s statement makes no mention of the dry cargo vessel, so the information regarding its sinking is a statement by the SBS.
Attacks on energy hubs
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has reported that 13 power hubs and substations have been hit. Eight of these are located in occupied Crimea, and a further five are in the temporarily occupied territories of southern and eastern Ukraine.
In Crimea SBS They named the «Solyana» substation in Kerch, the «Azovska» substation in Stary Krym, the «Zorya» substation in Ponizivka, the «Darsan» substation in Yalta, the «Kapsel» substation in Sudak, «Koktebel» in Shchebetivka, «Lenino» in Yedi-Kuyu and «Nasosna-3» in Zelenyi Yar. The military have attributed these strikes to Operation «Crimean Circuit Breaker Off».
Following a previous attack on the night of 15 July, the occupying administration reported a complete power cut in Kerch and power cuts in other parts of the peninsula.
The «Buk» air defence system and a bridge in the Donetsk region
Separately, the General Staff reported that a «Buk» anti-aircraft missile system had been destroyed in the Zelenopillya area of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. A road bridge near Novoeekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast was also hit.
According to the General Staff, Russian troops used this bridge to transport personnel, equipment and supplies.
An attempt to disrupt the logistics of the occupying forces
Brovdi reported that as part of the «MoLoChKa» and «Crimean Circuit Breaker Off» operations» The SBS struck a total of 176 vessels and 96 power facilities. The day before, he had reported that 172 vessels belonging to the «shadow fleet» had been hit, so the new figure corresponds to the report of four vessels this night.
According to Brovdi, the aim of «MoLoChka» is to halt or disrupt the transport of oil, fuel and cargo, rather than to sink ships. Co-ordinated strikes against maritime logistics, the energy sector, air defence systems and the bridge may indicate an attempt to make it more difficult for Russian forces to move cargo and supply the occupied territories.
