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Missiles and HIMARS: the war on 26 July 2022
Summary
A look back at a day of Russian cruise missile strikes on the Black Sea coast and Ukrainian strikes on a key bridge in Kherson Oblast.
What did the southern front look like on 26 July 2022? Reports from that day described pressure in both directions: Russian missile strikes along Ukraine's Black Sea coast, and a Ukrainian attack on a bridge that mattered to Russian forces in Kherson Oblast.
Strikes on the coast
Ukraine said Russia had launched cruise missile strikes at targets along its Black Sea coast. Among them were Odesa and port infrastructure at Mykolaiv.
The Antonivka bridge
In Kherson Oblast, Ukrainian forces struck the Antonivka Road Bridge, described as strategic, using the M142 HIMARS missile system. The strike caused severe damage and prevented vehicles from crossing. Ukraine also claimed to have destroyed a Russian ammunition depot, artillery and other military equipment in the region, and said 51 Russian troops had been killed. Those casualty and equipment figures were Ukraine's own claims.
The operation was listed as part of the Ukrainian summer counteroffensive.
Legal pressure from Moscow
A day earlier, on 25 July 2022, the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, said Russia had charged 92 members of Ukraine's Armed Forces with "crimes against the peace and security of humanity". He said a further 96 people were wanted and that 1,300 criminal investigations were under way.
Other news linked to the war
The war also shaped developments elsewhere. On 26 July 2022, the Philippine government announced it was terminating a US$227-million deal to buy 16 Mil Mi-17 military helicopters from Russia. It cited the risk of possible US sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
On 25 July 2022, the United Kingdom was announced as host of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in place of Ukraine, the 2022 winners, because of the war. The UK's entrant Sam Ryder had finished second behind Kalush Orchestra. Ukraine was to qualify automatically for the grand final. The contest was later held in Liverpool in May 2023, with the BBC staging it on behalf of Ukraine's public broadcaster.
Taken together, the reports from 25 and 26 July 2022 show a war felt well beyond the front line, in ports, in courtrooms, in defence procurement and in cultural life.
