For three straight days, Russia has been striking Ukrainian gas facilities in Kharkiv Oblast belonging to Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-run oil and gas operator, Ukrayinska Pravda reported, citing Telegram posts from the company. Those posts included video of the aftermath of one of the blasts.
The first of those attacks, a “large-scale drone attack” on July 17, represented the 250th attack on Naftogaz’s facilities since the start of the war, the report said.
Tu-160M Bombers from Russia. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The report stated that on July 19, a strike on one production facility led to a fire.
“The equipment had to be shut down, resulting in the loss of some production capacity,” the oil company operator said, per the outlet.
The following morning, the report added, “Russia struck another facility, causing extensive damage. The scale of the damage is still being assessed.” In both attacks, employees were in shelters, and no one was injured.
A New CEO and a US Deal
According to Kyiv Post, Serhiy Fedorenko has been named Naftogaz’s acting CEO, replacing Serhiy Koretskyi, who was named Ukraine’s prime minister.
The new acting CEO’s mandate, the report said, will include “maintaining the pace of [winter] preparations, ensuring sufficient gas reserves in storage, and repairing oil and gas facilities damaged by Russian attacks.”
Tu-160M Bomber Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
He is also expected to continue with the strategic agreements with international partners.
One of those agreements was with Argent LNG, an American LNG export terminal developer, with which Naftogaz agreed on a memorandum of understanding (MoU), “establishing a framework agreement to explore long-term US LNG offtake, transportation, and distribution co-operation serving Ukraine and Central, Eastern, and Southern European markets,” per a joint press release on July 16.
“The signing of this MoU with Argent LNG marks an important step toward building a long-term partnership with the American LNG industry.
It is an important part of Naftogaz’s strategy to diversify natural gas supplies to Ukraine and strengthen the country’s energy security,” Koretskyi, at the time the CEO of Naftogaz Group, said in the release.
Elsewhere in the Conflict
On Monday, a Russian missile strike hit a ship carrying corn near the Ukrainian port of Odesa, Reuters reported. Ten people were killed in the attack by three cruise missiles, as stated by Ukrainian officials, in what Reuters referred to as “the deadliest attack in a weeks-long flare-up of violence in the Black Sea.”
The affected ship, the Golden Leo, was described by Reuters as “a Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship manned by a crew from India and Syria.” The ship is owned by Mumbai-based Ocean Grace Shipping Ltd.
There was a separate attack, also on Odesa, as reported by Reuters.
“A separate Russian attack on Odesa, Ukraine’s largest seaport, killed three people and wounded three others on Monday, Serhiy Lysak, head of the city’s military administration, said.
He said infrastructure facilities came under attack but gave no further details,” the news agency reported.
“A search and rescue operation lasted all night, Ukraine’s seaports authority said, adding that nine crew members and one of its maritime pilots were killed. Eight of the vessel’s 17 crew members were rescued, it added.”
Odesa’s governor said this week that 28 people in the region have been killed by Russian strikes since the start of the month.
Reuters noted that while the Black Sea was a frequent flash point in the early months of the war following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, action in that region had largely ceased under the terms of the Black Sea Grain Initiative later that year.
“Moscow and Kyiv, however, are now stepping up attacks in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov and targeting key revenue sources,” the Reuters report said. “Ukrainian forces have hit Russian energy infrastructure, including oil tankers, while Russia is intensifying its attacks on Ukraine’s deepwater ports and cargo vessels.”
Those attacks came a day after Russia carried out ballistic missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, killing at least eight people.
In a social media post, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described those attacks as “one of the largest Russian ballistic missile attacks to date,” with Kyiv and its surrounding region the primary targets of the attacks.
“Russia is placing its wagers on ballistic missiles, and it is because of them that Putin still believes in his war,” the Ukrainian leader added.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
