Russians strike Kherson Oblast with MLRS: Two killed, medics injured, extensive damage reported

The Russian Armed Forces shelled the town of Bilozerka in Kherson Oblast on the morning of July 19, killing two local residents, according to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of Kherson Oblast Military Administration, via Telegram.

“The Russians fired on a residential building in Bilozerka in the morning. As a result, a 72-year-old local resident was killed in her own home. My condolences to the family and friends of the deceased,” he wrote. 

Prokudin later reported that the death toll had risen to two, as rescue workers recovered a woman’s body from the rubble.

The Oblast Military Administration head clarified that Russian forces attacked Bilozerka with Grad multiple-launch rocket systems, firing about 40 projectiles. As a result, 60 civilian buildings were damaged.  There are also wounded, including medical workers, as a result of the Russian attack.

At 11:37, he reported that five people were wounded in the attack.

According to Prokudin, a 43-year-old man was hospitalised with blast injuries, a concussion, and shrapnel wounds to the back of his head and thigh. A 69-year-old medical worker was injured in her own apartment due to the shockwave. She sustained a concussion, a craniocerebral injury, and blast injuries. Medical assistance was provided to her on-site.

Additionally, two residents, aged 52 and 39, suffered concussions and blast injuries. They also received necessary assistance on-site.

Prokudin added that a Russian drone struck a paramedic who was helping the victims. The 26-year-old woman was hospitalised with blast injuries and a contusion.

According to the Sumy Oblast Military Administration, Russian forces attacked the border area of the Sumy Oblast seven times on the night of July 18-19 and on Friday morning. In Nova Sloboda hromadaі , one explosive device was dropped from a UAV (one explosion), leaving one civilian (a woman) injured. In addition, there was a strike with the use of one First-Person View (FPV) drone (one explosion).

By way of background, on the afternoon of July 18, 2024, Russian Armed Forces targeted an apartment block in Kherson’s Tsentralnyi district. Russians injured two women and a 16-year-old girl, who was transported to hospital in serious condition. She sustained an explosive injury, a brain injury, and a head wound.

 A 71-year-old woman suffered facial and neck injuries, and a jaw fracture. Another woman, 50, sustained a contusion, an explosive injury, traumatic brain damage, and shrapnel wounds to her face and lower extremities.

Doctors are providing medical treatment to the people injured in the attack.

Earlier, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported on Facebook that Russian forces attacked Donetsk Oblast with various weapons, killing five civilians and injuring three others.

On the morning of July 18, 2024, the Russians shelled the settlement of Pleshchiivka in Kramatorsk district. An 85-year-old local citizen was killed after a Russian projectile struck a residential building. Medics attempted to save his wife; however, she died while in emergency treatment.

In addition, the Russian Armed Forces struck the settlement of Hrodivka in Pokrovsk district. Russian ammunition hit a residential area, killing three women aged 26, 32, and 77. 

The Russian army also targeted the settlement of Velyka Novosilka in Volnovakha district. According to preliminary information, the Russians deployed two KAB-250 guided bombs to target the civilian population. A couple aged 48 and 56 were injured in the attack while at home. 

Another person was hurt in a Russian attack on the city of Zalizne; this was likely an artillery shelling. He was in his apartment when the attack occurred. The 58-year-old man has been hospitalised.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia launched 700 guided aerial bombs and almost 80 missiles against Ukraine over the past week.

“Just since the beginning of this week, Russia has used more than 700 guided aerial bombs, more than 170 attack drones of various types and almost 80 missiles against Ukraine. The scale of this evil must be matched by the scale of solutions to protect lives. Each ally can influence the situation and strengthen the defense against terror,” he said.

At the news conference on July 15, Zelenskyy said that from the perspective of the Ukrainian air defense structure, Ukraine needs 25 systems to cover Ukraine fully.

By way of background, the Russian Federation remains impervious to calls from various countries and international organisations to halt its war against the Ukrainian people and restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Previously, Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to world leaders who are still not on board with the Global Peace Summit to join the collective effort. He called on them to show leadership in advancing real peace, not just a pause between strikes.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) pointed out that Ukraine’s demands for a peace plan are justified, while Russia’s are a violation of international law.

According to the ISW, Ukraine continues to assert its readiness to negotiate with Russia on terms that comply with international law. This stance sharply contrasts with Russia’s insistence on total Ukrainian capitulation.

On 15 July, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that plans for a second peace summit should be finalised by November 2024 and said that Russia needed to participate. In the lead-up to this summit, Ukraine will organise a series of preparatory meetings:

• an energy security conference in Qatar in late July or early August 2024;
• a freedom of navigation discussion in Türkiye in August 2024;
• a session on prisoner-of-war exchanges and the repatriation of deported Ukrainian children in Canada in September 2024.

These issues were central to the first Global Peace Summit initiated by Ukraine in Switzerland in June 2024.

Despite these diplomatic efforts, recent statements from the Kremlin underscore Russia’s rigid position on negotiations. Russian officials have indicated that they will not attend the second peace summit, deeming its terms unacceptable given their demands.

ISW continues to assess that Putin’s conditions for Ukrainian capitulation would enable Russian Forces and occupation administrations to perpetuate their large-scale ethnic cleansing campaigns in occupied Ukraine. The complete restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity is essential to liberate its people from Russian occupation. 

Photos: Oleksandr Prokudin and the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office