Strana 13
targets across Ukraine. The defense shot down
198 drones and jammers disabled another 145,
while the rest struck Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, Kryvyi
Rih and other cities. On Tuesday July 29 Russian
strikes killed 25 people and injured more than
50. The worst incident was at Bilenke prison
in the Zaporizhzhia region, where 16 inmates
died. A strike on a hospital in Dnipropetrovsk
region killed three people including a pregnant
woman, and in Kharkiv region five people were
killed when the Russians attacked civilians
waiting in line for humanitarian aid.
The worst attack in terms of consequences
came at the very end of the observed
period. During the night of Thursday July
31 the Russians sent 309 Shahed drones and
eight Iskander missiles at Kyiv. Ukrainian
air defense destroyed 288 drones and three
missiles, but explosions on the ground killed
31 people and injured 159. Among the victims
were children – two were killed and 16 were
injured. In this last attack on Kyiv the Russians
also used, according to the Ukrainian side,
Shahed drones with jet engines. These are
faster and can carry more explosives. It is
clear that such drones are causing Ukraine
increasingly serious problems. That is why in
its own strikes on Russian territory during this
period Ukraine focused on the supply chain
for Shaheds. This was not only the factory
producing them in Tatarstan but also plants
producing electronics or chemicals needed for
making drones or their explosives. Russian oil
infrastructure was also an important target,
and attacks against it intensified again.
Among strikes directly related to the fighting
at the front, two were well documented.
On Thursday July 3 Ukrainian drones destroyed
a Russian ammunition depot in Khartsyzk in
occupied Donetsk region. Its explosion was
recorded on several videos. The day before,
on Wednesday July 2, Ukrainian missiles
eliminated the command post of Russia’s
155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade in the
village of Korenevo in Kursk region. This
once-elite unit had already been practically
destroyed in the fighting in Ukraine several
times and had to be rebuilt repeatedly. Now its
command was eliminated. The Ukrainian strike
killed Major General Mikhail Gudkov, Colonels
Nariman Shikhaliev, Leonid Bashkhardin and
Sergei Ilyin, Major Shamil Murtazaliev and
Captain Alexander Shipunov. These are only
the names that are known. According to an
obituary published by a Russian veterans’
organization, more than 10 officers were killed
in this strike.
At the same time the Russians also managed
something similar. In a strike on the town of
Hulyaipole in Zaporizhzhia region Colonel
Serhiy Zacharevych of Ukraine’s 110th
Mechanized Brigade was killed along with at
least one other officer, Dmytro Romaniuk.
F-16 maintenance
During this period two reports also emerged
concerning Ukrainian F-16 fighters. The “Come
Back Alive” organization, with the support of
the government company Ukrnafta, developed
a mobile complex accompanying F-16s for
the Ukrainian Air Force These aircraft must
frequently move between air bases to avoid
unwanted Russian attention, but not every
base is equipped to service them and ready for
combat. Now, when an F-16 arrives at a new
base, such a mobile complex can be waiting.
It includes a truck with a trailer for mission
planning and pilot briefing. The system also
includes mobile equipment for attaching
weapons under the F-16’s wings. Previously,
loading a single piece of ordnance required
10 to 12 people; with this equipment, three
are sufficient. A less positive report was that
a traitor was operating within the ranks of
the Ukrainian Air Force, attempting to provide
Russia with information to help plan attacks
on F-16 and Mirage 2000 bases. Ukraine’s
Security Service arrested him at the end of the
observed period. He faces the life sentence.
A Ukrainian F-16
fighter and the
mobile complex that
assists with aircraft
maintenance during
relocations between
airfields.
The Ukrainian Air Force
published a series of
photos showing Su-27
fighters being prepared
for a combat mission.
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard
13
September 2025