Strikes on a cargo ship and warehouses, 18–19 July 2026
A look back at two attacks reported in the days before 23 July 2026, one off Odesa and one on warehouses in Russia.
What had the war's latest strikes done by 23 July 2026? Two reports from the preceding days set out the toll: one at sea off Odesa, the other at warehouses inside Russia.
Off Odesa
On 19 July, Ukrainian officials said Russian forces had struck a Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship carrying corn off Odesa. Ten crew members, from India and Syria, were killed. Eight others were rescued, while the vessel continued to burn.
Odesa and the surrounding region have been targeted by Russian shelling and air strikes on multiple occasions since the full-scale invasion began, in part from Russian warships offshore in the Black Sea. The city has also been hit by Russian cruise missiles.
Warehouses in Russia
On 18 July, Moscow Oblast governor Andrey Vorobyov and Tambov Oblast head Yevgeny Pervyshov said Ukrainian drone attacks had killed seven workers and injured 49 others at Wildberries warehouses in Kotovsk and Elektrostal. Another strike was reported to have ignited an oil facility. Ukraine said the warehouses supported Russian drone production.
Drones have been a critical part of the war, particularly in combined arms warfare. Russia has used them against Ukrainian critical infrastructure, and Ukraine has used them to hit military infrastructure on Russian territory.
Taken together, the two reports from 18 and 19 July showed civilian and commercial sites, a merchant vessel and warehouses, among the places affected by the fighting in the days leading up to 23 July 2026.
