Russia could face difficulties supplying troops in southern Ukraine after ammunition depot in Crimea is destroyed – military expert Serhiy Zgurets 

Russian missile attack 

On the night of July 19, the Russians launched another missile attack on Ukraine. They used 63 air attack weapons from the south. In addition to the Kalibr missiles and Shahed UAVs, the Russians, after a long pause, used Kh-22 missiles and Oniks supersonic missiles. However, there were no Kh-101 cruise missiles, which until recently were the enemy's main striking force. Our airt defense worked quite well. We shot down 23 out of 32 Shahed UAVs and destroyed 13 out of 16 Kalibr cruise missiles. But we couldn't shoot down the 8 Kh-22 missiles and 6 Oniks missiles, which were aimed at Odesa's port and critical infrastructure. The attack damaged grain and oil terminals, as well as tanks and loading equipment.

President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that the Russian terrorists deliberately targeted the grain deal infrastructure. Destroying Kh-22 missiles is challenging, and we only have Patriot and SAMP-T air defense systems capable of doing it. Unfortunately, these systems may not be available near Odesa, giving the enemy an advantage. The Oniks cruise missile from the Bastion complex is also difficult to destroy. Last year, they launched these missiles from occupied Crimea, and all of them were destroyed. This time, the enemy had more favorable conditions to use Oniks missiles in Odesa.

In conclusion, the enemy's combined strike was dangerous, highlighting the need to increase air defense assets to protect against further Russian attacks.

The destroyed warehouse with ammunition of the Russian army at the Old Crimea training ground

Yesterday, the Armed Forces successfully destroyed the enemy's ammunition depot in occupied Crimea. The Russian army lost a large amount of ammunition stored at the Old Crimea training ground. Around three shots were fired at the warehouse, causing the detonation between 4 and 9 in the morning. This will make it hard for the enemy to supply their troops in South Ukraine, where our counteroffensive is ongoing. There are also intense battles in the North, especially in Kharkiv and Luhansk regions. The Bakhmut area is challenging as Ukrainian troops conduct offensive operations. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the Defense Forces' offensive actions, the Russian invaders retreated from their positions near Orikhovo-Vasylivka. The Defense Forces have achieved some progress, gaining new territory, but the enemy is strongly resisting and using reserves.

Ukraine's Defense Forces advance in the Bakhmut sector

Bakhmut remains an important focus, with Defense Forces trying to advance to the north and south of the city. The main challenge in the northern section is the heights near Berkhivka, where Russia concentrates its forces, making it a critical area of intense fighting. At Klishchiivka, the enemy is attempting to counterattack to halt our troops' progress. Berkhivka and Klishchiivka are crucial directions for the further advancement of our Defense Forces.

In the southern part of the Bakhmut area, the 3rd Assault Brigade has been pressuring the enemy around Andriivka. This village lies between Klishchiivka and Kurdyumivka, aiming to create a threat from the side for the occupying forces. We are currently gathering our forces to finalize this operation, while the enemy is increasingly deploying reserves in response. To counter this, our artillery, including cluster munitions, will be utilized to inflict maximum damage on the enemy, as mentioned by General Syrskyi in an interview with BBC. These actions will help us continue our progress effectively.

Government canceled a decree banning profits for defense enterprises

Maksym Pliekhov, the head of the Lviv Defense Cluster, mentioned that discussions about banning profits for defense companies started a long time ago. A government resolution, number 313, stated that defense enterprises in Ukraine couldn't include profit in their calculations. But Pliekhov noticed that the Ministry of Defense accepted these profit calculations from the companies anyway. After many appeals to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s Parliament) and meetings with the president, they decided to fix this problem. Recently, there was a Cabinet of Ministers meeting where they adopted a new resolution called number 1245. This new resolution covers all issues related to defense enterprises, but it hasn't been officially published yet. Pliekhov heard from unofficial sources that they plan to correct the situation with defense companies' profits in the future, but for now, everything remains the same.

Pliekhov also mentioned that all defense products were bought through direct contracts, and they couldn't use the Prozorro system for purchases. The government introduced this calculation method to understand the actual profitability of production and avoid excessive profits. Company managers had to calculate production costs before signing contracts. According to Pliekhov, most Ukrainian defense companies have an average profit percentage of around 10%. Many companies that resumed production during the Russian invasion didn't prioritize profits. This system has been in place since February 24, but not many people are willing to understand the situation right now.