Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Odesa City Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "The enemy has attacked Odesa. Early reports indicate that some infrastructure facilities have been hit… As of now, sadly, three people are confirmed dead."

Details: Three people were injured in the attack.

"Search and rescue operations are ongoing. Information is being clarified," Lysak said.

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Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter)

Details: The meeting with Horbatiuk covered Ukraine's defence strategy and the details of cooperation with its partners.

Regarding his meeting with Drapatyi, Zelenskyy said they have discussed "a lot".

Quote: "It is important that the experience of every component of Ukraine's defence forces be applied in a coordinated way."

More details: On the meeting with Biletskyi, Zelenskyy said: "A meeting with Andrii Biletskyi. As always, his briefing on the situation in the sector was thorough. I also value his broader assessment of Ukraine's prospects on the front and our action strategy."

Background: Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been holding meetings with senior military officers amid a dispute between Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and protests sparked by Fedorov's dismissal.

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Source: European Pravda, citing Sky News

Details: Burnham said Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump will be his first calls on 20 July.

"I'll be making very clear later today to President Zelenskyy that, you know, there is no change. I will be with him 100%, as Keir Starmer has been," Burnham said.

Burnham said he had collaborated with Ukrainian mayors while serving as mayor of Greater Manchester in recent years.

"I take all of that experience into my new role, and President Zelenskyy will be left in no doubt whatsoever that Britain's support is steadfast, it is resolute, it will be there for him and I will be there for him personally too," he added.

Background:

• Andy Burnham, the new leader of the UK Labour Party, officially succeeded Keir Starmer as prime minister on 20 July.
• After King Charles accepted Starmer's resignation, Burnham travelled to Buckingham Palace, where the monarch invited him to form a new government.

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Source: Oleh Kiper, Head of Odesa Oblast Military Administration

Quote: "The bodies have been taken to the forensic medical examination bureau. I extend my sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed. A further eight crew members were evacuated to shore immediately after the attack."

Details: Kiper reported that the people were simply doing their ordinary job, transporting maize and posed no threat whatsoever to Russian forces.

Quote: "But for the aggressor, there is no difference between a military target and civilians. This treacherous strike is yet more confirmation of that."

Background:

• The Guinea-Bissau-flagged vessel departed a Ukrainian port on 19 July after loading maize. On board were 17 crew members – citizens of Syria and India – along with a Ukrainian pilot from Delta-Pilot, a branch of the state-owned Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA).
• On 19 July, Russia fired missiles on the civilian vessel, committing yet another war crime.

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Source: Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces

Quote: "The Birds from the Unmanned Systems Forces descended on the swamps of Krasnodar Krai on an air defence hunt.

Eight air defence assets were tracked down and destroyed in the enemy's operational depth on the night of 19-20 July – six in Krasnodar Krai and two in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast."

Details: According to Magyar, the following Russian assets were destroyed in Krasnodar Krai:

• a Tor-M2 air defence system
• a Kasta-2E2 radar
• a Gamma-S1M radar
• two Nebo-SV radars
• a Nebo-U radar.

A Buk-M1 air defence system and a radar were destroyed in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Madyar also released footage of the strikes on the targets.

Background: At dawn on Monday 20 July, the Russian authorities reported an attack involving more than 400 drones on Moscow Oblast. Users on social media reported strikes and fires in Moscow Oblast, including at the Wildberries Koledino logistics centre in Podolsk.

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Source: Ukrinform, a Ukrainian news agency, on social media

Details: Ukrinform journalists filmed the scene and reported that after municipal workers removed the placards left behind by protesters earlier in the day, young people began making new ones.

Background:

• Since 16 July, protests have been taking place in Kyiv and other cities demanding that Mykhailo Fedorov be reinstated as defence minister and that Syrskyi be dismissed.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that Fedorov and Syrskyi were unable to find common ground and that problems on the battlefield, within brigades and with mobilisation remained unresolved.
• On 18 July, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with Fedorov and Syrskyi. He promised that "decisions regarding the army will be worked out".

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Source: RMF24, a Polish news media outlet; European Pravda

Details: Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Russia has already intercepted a significant number of Ukrainian attack drones used to strike targets inside Russia, and could use them in hybrid false-flag provocations against its European neighbours.

He said Poland needs to be prepared for this scenario and that the threat will be discussed at a meeting of the Council of Ministers' security committee on the morning of 21 July.

"This will be one of the key topics at tomorrow's meeting," Kosiniak-Kamysz said, adding that they will also discuss strengthening readiness against cyberspace threats and threats to critical infrastructure.

Quote: "Our partners in the Baltic states, Finland and Romania are also talking about this. We see this as a current threat to the entire eastern flank of NATO."

Background:

• During spring and in early summer 2026, attack drones used by Ukraine to strike targets in Russia repeatedly ended up on the territory of the Baltic states and Finland, having gone off course under the influence of electronic warfare. In one case, drones hit an empty oil tank at an oil depot in Latvia.
• In two cases, NATO patrol fighter jets shot down drones – one over Estonia, another over Latvia.
• Ukraine apologised to its partners for these incidents at the time, attributing them to the effects of Russian electronic warfare systems.
• In June, a stray naval drone exploded in Romania at the port of Constanța.

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Source: Kherson Oblast Military Administration on Telegram

Quote: "At around 11:40, Russian forces attacked a healthcare facility in Kherson. The attack damaged the medical facility premises and injured three hospital staff members."

Details: A 49-year-old female doctor and two maintenance workers, aged 52 and 71, sustained blast injuries and are suffering from concussion.

All three will receive outpatient treatment.

Update: Kherson Oblast Military Administration later added that the number injured has risen to six.

Quote: "An 18-year-old young man and two nurses, 43 and 47, have sought medical help. They were diagnosed as having sustained blast injuries and shrapnel wounds and suffering from concussion. The women have been hospitalised."

More details: The authorities reported later that another person has been injured, bringing the total to seven. A 60-year-old woman sustained blast injuries and concussion.

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Source: press service for the Caspian Pipeline Consortium

Details: According to the consortium, the drone struck the aft section on the starboard side, between the superstructure and the engine and boiler room. A fire broke out on the deck and in the tanker's compartments and took several hours to extinguish.

Twenty-two members of the international crew were evacuated from the vessel. The tanker remained afloat. The CPC said there had been no oil spill and that the crude oil in the tanks had not caught fire.

This was the second attack on a civilian tanker near the CPC terminal in two days.

Oil loading resumed on the evening of 19 July after the previous strike, but has been suspended again following the new attack on 20 July.

Background: The CPC marine terminal is located near the village of Yuzhnaya Ozereyevka, not far from Novorossiysk, Russia.

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Source: Sybiha on X (Twitter), reported by European Pravda

Details: Sybiha said that ensuring the return of all Ukrainian prisoners of war, illegally held civilians and every deported Ukrainian child remains one of Ukraine's most important humanitarian priorities.

He also pointed to the urgent need to protect Ukraine's religious and cultural heritage, particularly following Russia's recent strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, and called for continued international support for these efforts.

Quote: "I briefed Archbishop Gallagher on the battlefield situation, Ukraine's peace efforts and Europe's growing role in advancing a comprehensive and lasting peace. The Kremlin continues to escalate terror against civilians and is expanding its campaign to recruit mercenaries around the world, including in Africa. We discussed ways to help prevent such exploitation of vulnerable communities through dialogue with partners and religious leaders."

More details: Sybiha and Archbishop Gallagher also discussed further humanitarian cooperation and support.

Background:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Pope Leo XIV by phone in April, amid a large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine.
• Pope Leo XIV called for peace in Ukraine in his first Christmas address to thousands of the faithful in St Peter's Square in Rome.

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Source: Von der Leyen on X (Twitter) on 20 July, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Following the conversation, von der Leyen reaffirmed her commitment to continued cooperation on reforms that support progress in Ukraine's EU accession process.

They also discussed preparations for winter and the issue of critical energy infrastructure.

Quote: "Our Drone Deal will harness the EU's industrial strength to produce Ukraine's most innovative defence equipment at speed and scale."

More details: Von der Leyen added that Koretskyi "can count on our full support, including in your work to improve energy sector governance".

Background:

• The Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) dismissed Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on 16 July, voting to remove the entire government of Yuliia Svyrydenko. On 17 July, Sybiha was appointed acting foreign minister of Ukraine.
• The new government's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration also changed. Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine's former Permanent Representative to the EU, took over the post in place of Taras Kachka.

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Source: 225th Separate Assault Regiment on social media and in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "They were supposed to infiltrate unnoticed behind Ukrainian positions. They were not to engage in combat. Their task was to look for UAV crews, gather intelligence and plant Russian flags for yet more propaganda videos about 'captured' villages. Instead, they ended up in captivity."

Details: According to Ukrainska Pravda, this number of POWs was captured over a period of approximately a month and a half.

The 225th Separate Assault Regiment reportedly conducted a mop-up operation targeting Russian infiltration groups in the areas of Ternuvate, Kosivtseve, Rizdvianka, Verkhnia Tersa and Vozdvyzhivka.

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Source: SSU

Details: The SSU reports that special forces from its Alpha Special Operations Centre attacked a holiday resort that Russian security forces were using as a coordination centre and deployment site for FSB personnel.

Quote: "According to preliminary estimates, around 100 military personnel may have been at the FSB coordination centre. SSU intelligence also confirmed that more than 70 vehicles were at the site, armed guards were on duty, checkpoints were in operation and engineering obstacles and underground shelters had been installed.

During the special operation, 13 SSU drones struck the FSB personnel's base. The strike caused a large-scale fire."

More details: The SSU said such special operations are designed to weaken Russia's military and economic potential, disrupt the command and control of Russian forces and complicate their logistics in the temporarily occupied territories.

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Source: #knygolove publishing house

Details: A total of 250,000 books were destroyed, though there were no casualties. The publisher warned of possible temporary delays in dispatching orders due to the destruction of its warehouse.

An office belonging to the arc.ua publishing house, founded in 2019 and specialising in publishing popular science literature on medicine, history, sociology and cultural studies for a wide audience, was also damaged.

"Our team is fine, that's what matters most. We'll tidy up a bit, deal with the aftermath of the 'Russian world' and get back to work, because common sense must always prevail," the company said.

Mison Publishing reported on social media that the office where its editorial team worked had been completely destroyed by fire in the attack.

"But today Russia has destroyed all our publishing plans. It struck at the very heart of the publishing house, destroying all the office premises where our team worked and where our ideas and dreams for the future were born. Everything was burned to the ground… But no one was hurt, and that is the most important thing! So there is a chance for revival," the company wrote. The Mison team is currently raising funds to resume operations.

Viktoriia Haidai, commercial director for Konvi, a Kyiv-based printing house and printing company, reported that the printing house had been damaged in the attack along with semi-finished publishing materials, including textbooks for fourth-grade pupils. No employees were injured.

Background: The BookChef publishing house lost 800,000 books on the night of 2 July as a result of a missile strike on Kyiv.

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Source: Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas speaking to Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT, as reported by European Pravda

Details: According to Kaunas, the war in Ukraine is not developing as Russia had planned. The Russians are unable to win, while explosions are now being heard in Russia itself and the country is experiencing fuel shortages. Kaunas stressed that Russian society is already questioning the Kremlin regime, asking why this is happening and where the promised victory is.

He said that the Kremlin and Putin need a new escalation, some kind of new victory, and that in this case the closest targets are the Baltic region and Poland.

His statement came after Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, in an interview with the news agency BNS, confirmed reports that had been circulating in foreign media several weeks earlier, according to which Russia was planning provocations in Poland or the Baltic states in order to test NATO's unity.

According to the president, this assessment is based on intelligence and concerns possible Russian attacks on critical infrastructure in the region, which could be carried out using either conventional military means or so-called hybrid tactics.

Background:

• Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski had previously suggested that Russia could stage a false-flag operation using Ukrainian-made drones.
• Meanwhile, Chief of Defence of Lithuania General Raimundas Vaikšnoras said there is currently no obvious threat of conventional Russian military aggression against Lithuania or other Baltic states, although provocations involving the use of military means cannot be ruled out.
• Earlier, media reports claimed that the US had warned Warsaw that Moscow was considering an armed provocation against Poland in order to "test NATO's resolve".

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Source: Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration

Quote: "One person has been killed and five more injured as a result of a Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia."

Details: Fedorov reported that Russian guided aerial bombs hit the city, destroying and damaging residential and non-residential buildings.

The five injured are receiving medical treatment.

Background:

• On the evening of 19 July, two people were killed and 42 injured, including eight children, in a Russian guided aerial bomb attack on Zaporizhzhia.
• A girl aged 11 who had been trapped under the rubble of a building destroyed by Russian bombing was confirmed dead in Zaporizhzhia on the morning of 20 July.

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Source: press service for Ukrenergo, Ukraine's state-owned electricity transmission system operator

Details: Wherever the security situation allows, energy workers are already carrying out emergency repairs and are working to restore power to all consumers as quickly as possible.

Ukrenergo recommends that high-power electrical appliances are used between 11:00 and 15:00, when industrial solar power plants are operating most efficiently.

The company warned that the situation in the power system may change and urged consumers to follow updates from distribution system operators.

Background: On the night of 19-20 July, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with two Kh-59/69 air-launched missiles and 94 drones of various types. Ukrainian air defence forces downed 81 Russian drones.

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Source: Oleksandr Hanzha, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration

Quote: "Two people have been killed and eight more injured. The Russians struck Pavlohrad."

Details: Hanzha reported that two men aged 56 and 38 and two women aged 87 and 48 had been taken to hospital in a moderate condition.

The other people injured in the attack, including a one-year-old girl, are undergoing medical examinations.

Apartment buildings and vehicles were also damaged in the city as a result of the strike.

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Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter)

Quote: "The Moscow region. Our long-range sanctions have produced results against logistics facilities and an oil depot. Thank you to the warriors of the Unmanned Systems Forces, our intelligence services, the Missile Forces and Artillery, and the Special Operations Forces. The targets were more than 400 kilometres from our border."

Details: According to the president, two tankers belonging to Russia's shadow fleet and four dry cargo ships were also hit in the Black Sea.

Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine is responding to Russian strikes on its cities and communities and will continue to increase pressure on Russia.

Quote: "We are responding, justly, to every Russian strike against our cities and communities. This war must be brought to an end, and that is only possible by increasing the pressure on the sole cause of this war – Russia."

Background: At dawn on Monday 20 July, Russian authorities reported an attack on Moscow Oblast involving more than 400 drones. Social media posts mentioned strikes and fires in Moscow Oblast, including at the Koledino logistics centre in Podolsk belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer.

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Source: Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, Commander of Ukraine's USF

Quote: "CRIMEA⛔️STOP: Seven ⚓️shadow fleet vessels, Seven ⚡️substations in Crimea and the TOT [temporarily occupied territories – ed.], six air defence units in Russia and two hellishly wild berries 2.0 [logistics facilities – ed.]. The night of 19-20 July – all were dealt with."

Details: By "hellishly wild berries 2.0", Brovdi was referring to new strikes on the logistics infrastructure of the Russian online marketplace Wildberries. The USF commander used the same term on 18 July when commenting on attacks on the company's warehouses.

Brovdi reported that Ukrainian forces had hit seven Russian vessels in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov as part of Operation MoLoChKa – three tankers and four bulk carriers.

"USF Operation Air Defence Downfall: six air defence elements destroyed in Yeisk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Kamyshevatskaya, all in Russia: one Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile system, two Nebo-SV radar systems, one Nebo-U, one Kasta 2E2 and one Gamma S1M," he added.

Magyar also noted that during Operation Crimean Switch Off, Ukraine hit seven power nodes and electrical substations in Yalta, Morske, Pryvitne, Luchyste and other settlements of temporarily occupied Crimea.

The USF commander also summarised the results of individual USF operations in Crimea between 1 and 20 July.

He reported that Ukrainian forces hit 183 Russian shadow fleet vessels as part of Operation MoLoChKa, of which 119 were in the Sea of Azov and 64 in the Black Sea.

Under Operation Crimean Switch Off, 103 power grid nodes were hit, while during Operation Air Defence Downfall, 25 Russian air defence assets were struck, including 12 surface-to-air missile systems, 12 radar systems and one electronic warfare system.

He also stressed that the Kerch ferry crossing has lost 75% of its capacity: three out of five ferries have been destroyed, and the remaining two have lost the ability to move independently and are now operating as barges towed by tugboats.

Brovdi added that units from the 414th, 413th, 412th, 427th and 20th brigades and the 1st USF Centre were involved in the operations. He said that strikes on Russia's' military, energy and logistics capabilities in Crimea will continue indefinitely.

Background: Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces hit four Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Black Sea and 13 electrical substations in occupied Crimea and other occupied territories on the night of 18-19 July.

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