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The Russian Ministry of Defiance announced on July 17 that its forces carried out overnight additional strikes on port facilities in Ukraine’s Odessa region.
“Last night, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued to launch strikes at ports of Ukraine used to deliver cargo to the AFU (AFU),” the ministry said.
The statement said that “air-based high-precision and attack drones” struck “facilities of port infrastructure in the Odessa and Chernomorsk ports used for unloading and storing military cargo and POL (petroleum, oil and lubricant) materials intended to support the AFU, as well as UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) production and assembly facilities.” It added that a “fire-fighting vessel was hit in the Chernomorsk Port.”
A follow-up statement described the operation as a “group strike with long-range air-based high-precision weapons and attack drones.” At the Odessa Port, operated by the Sea Commercial Port of Odessa State Enterprise, the ministry said facilities used “for the unloading of petroleum, oil, and lubricants, and POL tanks intended to support the AFU were hit.”
The ministry also said that “two workshops for production and assembly of unmanned aerial vehicles, including the assembly unit of an UJ-22 medium-range UAV (UKRJET Company), were neutralized at the Odessa Port.”
And at the Chernomorsk Port, run by the Sea Commercial Port of Chernomorsk State Enterprise, the ministry said “a vessel and POL tanks intended to support the AFU were eliminated.”
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russian forces launched eight missiles and 130 drones at the country overnight, including decoy drones, and that Ukrainian forces shot down five missiles and 115 drones. Meanwhile, Serhiy Lysak, head of the Odessa military administration, reported damage.
The latest wave of strike was a part of Russia’s ongoing response to Ukraine’s escalating attacks on the Crimean Peninsula and on shipping in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian ports are now under a de-facto blockade by Russian forces. Moscow has so far refrained from completely destroying these ports, despite being fully capable of doing so. Should Kyiv continue to escalate, however, that is expected to change.
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