On Thursday, July 16, 2026, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported further strikes on targets in the Russian Federation. Kyiv is continuing its strategy of attacking targets inside Russia.
Photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
During the night of July 15–16, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck a number of important enemy military and defense-related economic targets as part of efforts to reduce the Russian aggressor’s military and economic potential.
Six tankers and two tugboats were attacked in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The tankers are used to transport Russian crude oil and petroleum products in circumvention of international sanctions, as well as to carry fuel for the Russian Armed Forces. Since last week, a total of 144 vessels have been hit, most of them tankers (Ukraine attacks more tankers; Russia loses an attack helicopter).
Unmanned Systems Forces operators struck 11 more vessels from russia’s shadow fleet
On July 16, USF units continued Operation “MoLoChKa.” In total, 147 vessels belonging to russia’s shadow fleet were struck between July 6 and July 16.
Of these:
• 117 vessels in the Sea of… pic.twitter.com/IsEquMOAWb— 🇺🇦 Unmanned Systems Forces (@usf_army) July 16, 2026
An oil depot in Shakhtarsk, in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, was also struck. Ukrainian military intelligence is currently assessing the extent of the damage and the effects of the attack.
In addition, a road bridge in the Prymorsk district of the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and the Syvash railway bridge in the Chonhar district of the occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea were hit. Russian occupation forces use both bridges for logistics.
A base housing electronic warfare equipment was also struck in the Novodarivka area of occupied Luhansk Oblast.
⚡️Уражено шість танкерів, два буксири, нафтобазу, мости та інші військові об’єкти противникаhttps://t.co/PKv4Gii8Ga pic.twitter.com/IEzrg4i6Eb
— Генеральний штаб ЗСУ (@GeneralStaffUA) July 16, 2026
Earlier, Ukraine announced another On the Shield repatriation operation, during which the bodies of 501 fallen Ukrainian service members were recovered.
The operation involved the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Joint Center of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Persons Missing under Special Circumstances, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, and other elements of the country’s security and defense sector. Assistance was also provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Search teams from the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s On the Shield Humanitarian Project play an important role in the process. Their work is coordinated by the Central Directorate for Civil-Military Cooperation of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Despite the threat of drone attacks, remote mining, and enemy fire, the teams continue to operate in difficult and dangerous areas.
Once the repatriation operation is completed, the next stage begins. Personnel and resources from the Joint Civil-Military Cooperation Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, under the overall coordination of the General Staff’s Central Directorate for Civil-Military Cooperation, will transport the repatriated remains to designated facilities for the necessary forensic examinations and identification.
