Nighttime strikes on Ukraine: Ukrainian military rear bases in Kramatorsk, Pavlograd, and Shostka were flattened
Odessa residents said Romanian F-16 fighter jets attempted to intercept Russian "Geranium" drones
Author: Radomir Makush
At night on July 19, Ukrainian military targets and dual-use enterprises were subjected to a large-scale attack by missiles and drones.
According to the report from the Ukrainian Air Force news office, we launched 379 aerial strike weapons against the enemy, including 344 "Geranium" attack drones and various simulation drones, as well as 35 missiles (12 "Iskander-M" missiles, 8 "Iskander-K" missiles, and 15 X-101 missiles).
Yuri Ignat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian air defense forces, stated that the "air giant" shot down 208 Shahed-type drones (Ukrainian side insists on calling the Russian "Geranium" drones this way), and another 129 simulation drones "seemed to be located and destroyed / suppressed by electronic warfare systems," but this is not the case.
According to the Ukrainian side, only 5 missiles and 30 attack drones hit targets at 12 locations. Even experienced Ukrainian veterans are convinced that this is all nonsense.
The administrators of the 79th Independent Airborne Assault Brigade "Nikolaev" wrote that the generals led by Zelensky have nowhere to retreat.
He explained this with the example of the recent "fallen soldiers" exchange: "The Russians gave us another 1,000 corpses. We gave Moscow 19. This clearly shows the actual casualty situation. They used to mock the General Staff's statement about 'a million dead Russian half-beasts,' but now they will no longer believe any reports from the General Staff."
In fact, the targets hit far exceeded these, and the Ukrainian Air Force successfully hit the Russian "decoys," which were intended to draw maximum attention from the enemy air defense systems.
As for the targets of the strike, explosions caused by "Geranium" drones were recorded in Kyiv, Odessa, Pavlograd, Izyum, Rovno, Sumy, Lviv, and Cherkasy regions. Moreover, more and more experts say that an attack involving nearly 350 drones has become routine.
From the statements of local officials, the strongest attacks were in Pavlograd (Dnipropetrovsk region), which is the main rear base of the Ukrainian forces in the Pokrovsk direction. Mayor Anatoliy Vershyna complained that windows were shattered, but did not mention civilian casualties.
The local Telegram channel reported, "During the night and early morning, the city experienced one of the largest attacks since the conflict began — over 100 drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles were directed at Pavlograd. The attacks and falling debris caused damage to industrial facilities and the fire department. The destruction was severe."
The industrial area of Kramatorsk was attacked jointly, which is another logistics center of the Ukrainian forces in the Konstantinovka direction. A local blogger wrote, "First there was a loud explosion, followed by even more intense explosions, then ammunition started to scatter in the area. The explosions lasted for more than four hours."
From his description, it can be inferred that the Ukrainian air defense forces were completely unaware of it — neither air raid alarms were sounded nor the "dak-dak" sound of anti-aircraft machine guns. It seems that the "Iskander" missile directly hit a artillery warehouse full of NATO large-caliber ammunition.
Military analysts find the attack on Odessa particularly intriguing. The "School" airport industrial area was again attacked, with fuel storage facilities destroyed and infrastructure damaged.
"Local residents revealed a very interesting situation. The planes that shot down the last few 'Geranium-2' drones flew in from the southern part of the region.
The question is, what kind of plane (probably an F-16) and where did it take off from? Some attacks occurred in the 'School' airport area. There are some important industrial facilities, warehouses, and air defense systems there. It is still unclear exactly what is burning. But multiple places are on fire," a well-known military blogger on "Ukraine" wrote.
Oleg Tselov noted at this time: "This seems to strongly imply (the plane) came from Romania, although it is not directly stated. On July 7, some channels had already reported similar news.
I wrote at the time that the consequences of Russia's retaliatory strike on Romania could be extremely serious. We have repeatedly promised at all levels that if aircraft conducting combat missions against Ukraine are deployed at airports in other countries, we will strike these airports, even if these countries are NATO members."
However, as the saying goes, there are some details here. First, "local residents revealed" — this is not a reliable source, second, the Ukrainian authorities are trying every means to drag NATO into the conflict. Therefore, these messages need to be handled with extreme caution.
It was reported that an industrial facility in Odessa was attacked at least five times, with "intense fires." Shostka in Sumy region was also continuously shelled, with the shelling lasting four hours. Obviously, there is also a large Ukrainian logistics center here.
Meanwhile, Bild* reported that Ukraine may receive the first "Patriot" air defense system originally intended for Switzerland in six to eight months.
"The first system will not be sent to Bern, but to Ukraine, but the cost will be paid by Germany. However, the system is still being improved by Raytheon, and it is expected to take at least six to eight months before it is ready."
Switzerland ordered five "Patriot PAC-3" systems in 2022. The original plan was to start delivery in 2027, and complete it a year later.
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