Ukraine Strikes Attack UAV Site and Orion Control Station in Crimea
Ukraine strikes targeted a storage, preparation and launch site for attack UAVs near Hvardiiske in occupied Crimea along with an Orion UAV ground control station in Novofedorivka, a ground-based relay station in Olenivka and a communications and power supply point on the Tendra Spit in Kherson Oblast on the night of 16-17 August. [1]
Ukrainian Strikes on Russian Drone Facilities in Crimea
Ukraine's defence forces struck a storage, preparation and launch site for attack UAVs near Hvardiiske in temporarily occupied Ukrainian Crimea on the night of 16-17 August. [1] A fire was recorded at the facility. [1] Ukraine's defence forces also struck an Orion UAV ground control station in Novofedorivka. [1] In addition, a ground-based relay station used to control Geran/Herbera attack drones was struck in Olenivka in occupied Crimea. [1] Ukrainian forces also struck a communications and power supply point for a UAV relay station on the Tendra Spit in Kherson Oblast. [1] The extent of the damage inflicted on Russian forces is being assessed. [1]
Destruction at Kamensky Rocket Fuel Plant in Russia
Ukrainian strikes hit Russian attack UAV storage and launch site in occupied Crimea. — Source: france24
Ukraine's General Staff has confirmed the destruction of two workshops that produced explosives and gunpowder at the Kamensky Plant in Russia's Rostov Oblast. [3] Four other workshops were damaged. [3] Ukraine's defence forces struck the plant in Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, which supplies Russia's military, on the night of 15-16 August. [3] The Kamensky Plant is part of Russia's military-industrial complex and produces solid rocket fuel for ammunition used by the Uragan, Smerch and Tornado-S multiple-launch rocket systems, as well as for a range of missile systems and air-launched weapons. [3] These Ukraine strikes on facilities tied to Russian munitions production form part of efforts to disrupt supply lines for multiple-launch rocket systems.
Russian Attacks on Ukrainian Ports in Odesa Region
Ukrainian authorities said that Russia targeted port infrastructure in Ukraine's Izmail district in the southern region of Odesa overnight. [2] Fires caused by the attack have been extinguished. [2] Russia's defence ministry said its forces had hit military targets in the port, which it described as a berthing terminal used for unloading vessels carrying military cargo, hangars housing Western military equipment, and depots for naval drones. [2] In a separate strike, Russia said its forces had hit a patrol boat and fuel storage tanks in Odesa. [2] The local governor there said a civilian Togo-flagged vessel was damaged and four people were injured. [2] Reuters could not verify the ministry's assertions. [2] Izmail, close to the Romanian border, is home to Ukraine's largest port on the Danube river. [2]
Civilian Casualties from Ukrainian Strike in Belgorod
Ukrainian missile strikes killed six people and wounded four others, including a child, in Russia's Belgorod region. [2] "Ukrainian terrorists attacked the village of Koloskovo, Valuysky district, with missiles," Belgorod acting Governor Alexander Shuvaev said. [2] Koloskovo is about 15 kilometres from the Ukraine border. [2] The attack, which Shuvaev said burned a structure and damaged a vehicle, came a day after Russia and Ukraine carried out missile and drone strikes deep inside each other's territory that killed 19 people on both sides. [2]
Broader Context of Intensified Mutual Attacks
With frontline fighting at a near standstill and talks frozen, the warring countries have significantly stepped up missile attacks, pushing the civilian death toll to its highest levels since the war's first months in 2022. [2] Moscow has carried out near-daily missile and drone strikes across Ukraine since launching its full-scale invasion in early 2022. [2] It has recently intensified attacks using hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles, exploiting Ukraine's air-defence shortages after the US-Israeli war against Iran diverted supplies. [2] Ukraine has increasingly targeted warehouses belonging to Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries, saying the company supplies components for Russian drones. [2] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says those strikes, along with attacks on oil refineries, are aimed at undermining Russia's war economy. [2] In July alone, 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine, the highest monthly toll since May 2022, according to a United Nations tally. [2] Russian authorities have reported 79 civilians killed on their side in July, up from the previous month. [2] Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Russia, hitting a Wildberries warehouse and other sites. [4] Meanwhile, Russian strikes continued across Ukraine, destroying civilian and industrial areas. [4] The attacks are bringing the war closer to civilians on both sides. [4]
What to watch next: Near-daily missile and drone strikes across Ukraine and Russia are expected to continue amid the intensified cross-border exchanges.
