Russian drones and missiles hammered the Black Sea port of Odesa and other Ukrainian towns and cities, killing at least one person and wounding others, emergency officials said.
The July 19 assault was the latest sign that Russia intends to keep battering Ukraine’s civilian population – and push forward on the battlefield – amid cease-fire efforts that have all but collapsed.
Frustration with Russia’s continued attacks has fueled a shift in policy for US President Donald Trump’s administration. Earlier this week, Trump announced a September 2 deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a halt in fighting.
Trump had made ending Russia’s nearly 41-month-old war on Ukraine a priority since taking office in January. But despite six phone calls between Trump and Putin, three rounds of talks involving US, Russia, and Ukrainian officials, and Kremlin meetings with White House envoys, Russia has continued to batter Ukraine.
Kyiv Residents Shelter From Russian Drones In Subway
Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles into Ukraine overnight on July 19, causing residents of Kyiv to seek shelter in the capital’s subway.
Overnight July 19, Russia fired nearly 380 drones and cruise and ballistic missiles at nearly a dozen Ukrainian towns and cities, the military said. A nine-story apartment building in Odesa was hit, killing one woman and wounding several others, according to emergency officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a total of six people, including a child, were wounded in Odesa.
To the northeast, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the city of Pavlohrad also came under attack according to Serhiy Lysak, head of the regional military administration.
Ukraine, meanwhile, launched its own barrage of dozens of drones at Russian targets overnight, including at Moscow.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 13 Ukrainian drones were shot down on approach to the Russian capital.
On the battlefield, Russia is grinding forward slowly, though in recent weeks, its forward momentum has been measured in just meters. Fears are growing about possible encirclement of the city of Pokrovsk after Russian forces achieved a localized breakthrough to the northeast of the city.
Russia’s determination to force Ukraine to submit has come at an incredible cost: Western estimates say Russia will hit 1 million killed or wounded sometime this summer.
Ukraine has also suffered substantial casualties. And with a smaller population, Ukrainian authorities have frequently struggled to maintain troop strength, particularly for infantry units.
Last year, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed wide reforms to the mobilization and recruitment process, in hopes of generating incentives for people to sign up to fight.
But recruiters have still struggled.
The chairman of Rada, Ruslan Steanchuk, told reporters that lawmakers were considering loosening travel restrictions for men 18 to 24. Currently, those who are not subject to mobilization are restricted in traveling outside the country.
