In Moscow, drone strikes hit buildings opposite the HQ of Russia’s intelligence cyber warfare unit, Bellingcat says. In Crimea, a drone strike hits an ammunition depot outside Dzhankoy. Russia continues to pummel Odesa with missile strikes.
In Moscow, drone strikes hit buildings opposite HQ of cyber warfare unit of Russia’s intelligence agency, Bellingcat says
Early on Monday, July 24, Moscow was targeted with a drone attack. Photos of the aftermath of the attack were posted to Russian local Telegram channels. Several buildings appear to be damaged. Some of the windows were blown out and portions of the roof sustained damage. Smoke was rising over a building near Russia’s Defense Ministry. One of the drones reportedly fell close to the Defense Ministry.
This is not the first drone strike to target Moscow. On May 30, 2023, drones fell on five villages outside the Russian capital — Ilyinsky, Razdory, Romashkovo, Timoshkino, and Greenfield.
Commenting on a Moscow drone attack, Christo Grozev, Bellingcat’s lead Russia investigator twitted: “Russian media report that a drone attacked buildings near Komsomolsky prospect 17 in Moscow; traffic down this avenue has been closed. What is interesting is that this address is just across from the headquarters of GRU’s [Russia’s military intelligence – edit.] cyber offense (incl. FancyBear), among other military units.”
“At this location is also the Military University (https://vumo.mil.ru) and several top-secret GRU facilities, including the head of their illegals program. If Ukraine hit that building complex, the symbolic damage to MoD/GRU [Ministry of Defense – edit.] will be very significant,” Grozev said.
In Crimea, drone strike hits ammunition depot outside Dzhankoy
On the morning of July 24, explosions were audible near the airfield in Crimea’s Krasnohvardiyske. Russian-installed authorities of Crimea said a drone attack hit an ammunition depot outside Dzhankoy.
Videos of explosions were posted to local Telegram channels. The blasts were allegedly heard from the direction of Vesele, the site of a military airfield that is closed, according to official reports.
Moscow-appointed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said drones hit an ammunition depot in Dzhankoy district. Eleven drones were “neutralized”, he said. Falling debris damaged a private house in Kirovsky (Islyamteretskyi) district.
Rail traffic in Dzhankoy district and road traffic along the Dzhankoy – Simferopol highway was halted “for safety reasons.” Aksyonov said that authorities also ordered the evacuation of several villages within a five-kilometer radius of the depot that was hit.
On July 22, there was a series of explosions and a fire near Oktyabrske, 43 kilometers away from Simferopol. Russian-installed Crimea authorities said a drone strike caused ammunition at a depot to detonate.
On July 19, a fire erupted at a training ground in Kirovsky (Islyamteretskyi) district. A Russian ammunition depot near Staryi Krym caught fire and kept exploding for more than a day.
Russian missile strikes damage port infrastructure, historic center of Odesa
Russia continues to pummel Odesa with missile strikes. Overnight on July 23, one person was killed, and more than 20 others, including four children, were injured in the attack. Russia fired 19 missiles of various types at Odesa. Ukraine’s air defenses intercepted nine of these missiles.
At least 29 architectural monuments were destroyed by a Russian missile strike, including the historic center of the city designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO condemned the attack and will send a team to assess the damage.
Russian missile attacks over the past week caused damage to two consulates in Odesa. “The building of the Greek Consulate was also damaged, and this is already the second consular office in Odesa to be hit by Russian terror. Only three days ago, another such attack damaged the building of the Chinese Consulate,” President Zelenskyi said in his nightly address Sunday.
Russia’s actions pose a global threat as it destroys cities, culture, and ports that are fundamental to the world’s food security, Zelenskyi said.
The missile attack on Sunday damaged the House of Scientists (the Palace of the Tolstoy family, constructed and rebuilt between 1830 and 1890, the first architect was Giorgio Torricelli), the art gallery of the Tolstoy family (1896-1897), and the Spaso-Preobrazhensky cathedral (1794).
Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy appeals for help to rebuild the heritage sites. It is preparing to file a formal appeal to UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee and the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
The historic center of Odesa was designated an endangered World Heritage site by the United Nations cultural agency in January 2023.
Intentional destruction of cultural sites may amount to a war crime, UNESCO said in a statement following the attack.
Russia began to pound Odesa and Mykolayiv with missile and drone attacks after it quit the grain deal on July 17. Under the deal, Ukrainian grain was shipped from three ports in Odesa region, including the port of Odesa.
Azerbaijani-Ukrainian partnership in the energy sector. Ukraine in Flames #484
With Azerbaijan and Georgia jointly establishing access to the Black Sea, significant opportunities arise for Azerbaijan, as well as valuable cooperation prospects for Ukraine. These opportunities stem from various points of contact between our two nations. Primarily, there’s potential collaboration in the oil and gas sector, especially given Ukraine’s status as an energy-deficient country. Ukraine seeks investments and reliable alternative energy sources to reduce its reliance on former russian supplies. Watch Ukraine in flames #484 to find out about the strategic partnership between Ukraine and Azerbaijan, focusing on cooperation in the energy sector, which can contribute to reducing dependence on russian oil and gas
Guests:
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- Taras Zahorodniy, Managing Partner of “National Anti-Crisis Group”
- Yaroslav Bozhko, Political Scientist, Head of the Center for Political Studies “Doctrine”
