Ukraine strikes Russian tanker, pontoon bridge and troops in Donetsk Oblast
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian tanker in the Black Sea, a pontoon bridge near Novoekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast and a concentration of Russian troops in Horlivka on the night of 22-23 July, according to Ukraine's General Staff. Ukraine strikes reported by the General Staff targeted key Russian military and economic assets during that night.
Ukrainian strikes on Russian military and economic targets
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that the defence forces struck a tanker, a pontoon bridge and other Russian military targets on the night of 22-23 July. [1] On the night of 22-23 July 2026, as part of efforts to reduce the military and economic potential of the Russian aggressor, units from Ukraine's Defence Forces struck a number of important military and military-economic targets. [1] A tanker was hit in the Black Sea. [1] The tanker is used to transport Russian oil, petroleum products and fuel for the Russian armed forces. [1] A pontoon bridge in the area of Novoekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast, which the Russians were using for military logistics and the redeployment of forces and assets, was also hit. [1] A concentration of Russian troops was also struck in Horlivka, Donetsk Oblast. [1] These actions align with ongoing Ukrainian efforts to disrupt Russian supply lines and troop movements in the region.
Russian aerial attack on Sloviansk
Ukrainian strikes damaged a Russian pontoon bridge near Novoekonomichne in Donetsk Oblast. — Source: ukrainskapravda Russian forces dropped two aerial bombs on the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast on 23 July, injuring 14 people. [2] At least 10 people have been injured as a result of an attack on Sloviansk. [2] The Russians dropped two aerial bombs on the city today, leaving 10 people aged between 36 and 82 injured. [2] Vadym Filashkin, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, reported that seven apartment buildings had been damaged. [2] Later, Filashkin reported that the number of people injured in the attack on Sloviansk had risen to 14. [2] The Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office documented the aftermath of the attack. [2] These strikes caused direct harm to civilian infrastructure in the city.
Cross-border strikes and civilian casualties
Attacks by Russia and Ukraine have killed at least eight people, including a child, with four dead in Ukraine and another four in Russia and Moscow-annexed Crimea, officials on both sides say. [3] Ukrainian strikes killed four people, including a child, and wounded eight in Russia and Moscow-annexed Crimea on Thursday, local authorities said. [3] On the outskirts of Voronezh, 500km (310 miles) south of Moscow, a “three-year-old boy died” in a fire that broke out at his home after a drone crashed on it, regional Governor Alexander Gusev wrote on Telegram. [3] The boy’s parents sustained “various wounds”, he said, adding that a young man had also been wounded in a separate drone attack in the same area. [3] In Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, one man was killed and another wounded when a Ukrainian drone struck a vehicle, regional authorities said in a statement on Telegram. [3] In Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, Ukrainian attacks killed two people and wounded four others, Moscow-installed officials said. [3] A Russian attack on a food business in the Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad in the Dnipropetrovsk region killed three and injured at least 10 people, regional Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said on Thursday. [3] The attack had caused a fire, he added on Telegram. [3] Ukraine’s national broadcaster Suspilne reported that a 57-year-old man was killed in the Sumy region, in northeast Ukraine, in a mortar attack. [3] The media outlet said he was struck while in his back yard and could not be saved by medical teams. [3]
Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian tanker in the Black Sea on 22-23 July. — Source: aljazeera Russian forces have struck energy infrastructure in three Ukrainian oblasts. [4] New power outages have been reported in three Ukrainian oblasts on the morning of 23 July following a large-scale Russian strike. [4] The oblasts affected are Donetsk, Kharkiv and Chernihiv. [4] Emergency repair work is already in progress wherever security conditions permit. [4] Power engineers are working to restore equipment damaged by Russian attacks as quickly as possible. [4] Electricity consumption remains stable. [4] As of 09:30 on 23 July, the level was the same as the previous day. [4] Power engineers are asking consumers to shift active electricity use to between 10:00 and 16:00. [4] Russian forces struck petrol stations in two districts of the city of Sumy late on the evening of 22 July. [4]
Developments on the front line near Pokrovsk
The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed on Thursday in a statement that its forces captured the village of Bilytske, located about 12km (7 miles) north of the city of Pokrovsk, which Moscow claimed to have captured in December. [3] Earlier, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claimed that its forces repelled 42 Russian assaults over the past day near 19 settlements on the Pokrovsk front, including Bilytske. [3] However, Ukrainian authorities have not commented on Russia’s latest claim. [3] A still image taken from a handout video provided by the Russian Defence Ministry press service shows a Russian Uragan 220mm multiple-launch rocket system firing at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. [3]
New EU sanctions package against Russia
European Union envoys have agreed to a 21st sanctions package against Russia, imposing curbs on its banking sector while also finding a compromise with Greece to soften restrictions on Russian LNG, EU diplomats said on Thursday. [3] The latest sanctions package targets 218 individuals and entities, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a post on X. [3] Kallas said the measures hit more than 100 banks and cryptocurrency operators, at least 40 vessels from Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, as well as several oil refineries. [3] The package also adds more than 50 military-industrial entities to the sanctions list, including key actors involved in producing Russia’s long-range drones, she added. [3] The package granted a one-year exemption allowing EU companies to transfer Russian LNG to third countries, with an automatic renewal, after demands from Greece. [3] Sanctions require unanimity to be adopted. [3] Member states showed solidarity with Greece and it’s expected that Greece will do the same with others in the future, one EU diplomat said, Reuters reported. [3] Athens said a forthcoming ban on transfer services of Russian LNG to third countries would simply shift market share outside Europe and would not affect Russian revenues. [3] The measure was due to come into effect on January 1. [3] EU imports of Russian LNG will still be banned from that date. [3] Greece dominates Europe’s LNG carrier market and is among the biggest players globally, competing with Japan, China and the United States. [3] The package includes a 12-month freeze on the Russian oil price cap at $44.10 a barrel. [3]
What to watch next: Further developments on the Pokrovsk front remain under review as Russian forces claim advances while Ukrainian units report repelling multiple assaults, alongside implementation of the new EU sanctions targeting Russian energy and military entities.
