Key developments on July 16:
- Ukraine hits Russian S-300 system in Donetsk Oblast, Syrskyi says
- Drone drops munitions on factory in Russia's Kursk Oblast, authorities say
- Czechia to open bullet factory, start production of assault rifles in Ukraine
- Defense company's production blocked by Bureau of Economic Security's investigation
- Two more Russian kamikaze drones enter Belarusian airspace
The Ukrainian military attacked a Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile system on the occupied territory of Donetsk Oblast overnight on July 16, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Russian troops are continuing to push on the multiple sectors in Ukraine's east and south, with 65 clashes so far during the day, Ukraine's General Staff said in its latest update.
The radar station and several launchers of the S-300 system were hit, Syrskyi said, sharing a video of the attack. Further details on the scale of the attack are being determined.
According to Syrskyi, missile forces and other components of Ukraine's Defense Forces have earlier destroyed over 20 Russian launchers and about 15 radar stations.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports.
Ukraine has carried out several successful attacks against Russian targets in occupied Crimea and its vicinity, heavily degrading the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Ukrainian forces struck around 15 Russian air defense systems in occupied Crimea over the past two months, the military reported on June 17. Over 15 radar stations and more than 10 control centers stationed on the peninsula were also reportedly hit.
Asami Terajima
Drone drops munitions on factory in Russia's Kursk Oblast, authorities say
A Ukrainian drone dropped explosives on a factory in the Russian town of Korenovo, Kursk Oblast, acting Governor Alexei Smirnov said on July 16.
The resulting explosion caused a fire that first responders were working to extinguish, Smirnov said at 12:32 a.m. local time. He claimed that no factory workers were injured in the fire.
Separately, Smirnov said that a Ukrainian drone dropped explosives on the town of Tyotkino, located some 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Korenovo. Smirnov claimed that the explosives landed on a house and injured its resident.
Ukrainian authorities have not publicly commented on either of these claims, and the Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify them.
Kursk Oblast lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast. As with other Russian regions bordering Ukraine, it has been reportedly struck numerous times by drones or other long-range weapons in recent months.
Kateryna Denisova
Czechia to open bullet factory, start production of assault rifles in Ukraine
The governments of Ukraine and Czechia signed two agreements on joint arms production on July 16, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced after the meeting with Czech counterpart Petr Fiala.
A Ukrainian ministerial delegation led by Shmyhal arrived in Prague earlier in the day for talks with the Czech leadership.
Shmyhal announced that the discussions will concern the "supply of ammunition, integration into the EU and NATO, joint projects and production, infrastructure and the energy sector."
"Today, we have signed two important agreements in the defense industry. A new bullet factory will be built in Ukraine. The agreement was signed between Sellier & Bellot and Ukroboronservice," Shmyhal said during a press conference.
The second agreement relates to the production of assault rifles by the Czech holding company Colt CZ Group in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian company, whose name Shmyhal did not disclose for security reasons, will cooperate with armament manufacturer Ceska Zbrojovka, owned by Colt CZ Group.
Shmyhal stressed that signing such agreements "demonstrates a high level of interest in cooperation with the Ukrainian defense industry."
Shmyhal and Fiala also discussed supplying new types of weapons to the Ukrainian army, training and rehabilitating the Ukrainian military, and new joint projects in the military-industrial complex.
The visit comes only days after Czech President Petr Pavel announced Ukraine would receive 50,000 shells under Prague's ammunition initiative in July, with the deliveries rising to 100,000 rounds monthly since September.
Czechia unveiled the international initiative earlier this year amid Ukraine's shell shortages, exacerbated caused by the months-long blockade of U.S. assistance.
The Central European country has also provided Ukraine with helicopters, rocket launchers, and tanks, and also hosts the highest number of Ukrainian refugees per capita.
Pavlo Verkhniatskyi
Defense company's production blocked by Bureau of Economic Security's investigation
The Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) is effectively blocking the work of a body armor manufacturer due to ongoing investigations of tax evasion, Forbes Ukraine reported on July 16, citing the company's senior executive.
This complicates the supply of bulletproof vests to the military as the Ukrainian Armor (Ukrainska Bronia) company is one of the few certified producers in the country.
According to Forbes, the Bureau of Economic Security carried out searches at the company's facilities in May 2023, seizing products worth Hr 40 million ($970,000) and freezing the firm's accounts.
"These products have already been paid for, and Ukrainian soldiers are waiting for them," said Denys Milinevskyi, the company's commercial director, in a comment for Forbes.
"If we do not receive them back, we will go bankrupt."
Milinevskyi himself was charged by the bureau on July 1 with fraud and tax evasion, Forbes wrote. He dismissed the bureau's accusations as "baseless."
Representatives of Ukraine's business sector have repeatedly complained about growing pressure from the authorities, particularly from the controversial bureau. The government promised steps that would mend the relationship between the business and the state.
According to the bureau, the company imported defense goods into Ukraine between April and June 2022 by using falsified documents and then resold the product in Ukraine without paying Hr 30 million ($725,000) in taxes.
As the investigation is ongoing since August 2023, the company's work is effectively blocked as it cannot participate in public procurement, Milinevskyi said.
Authorities told Forbes that there are only six Ukrainian manufacturers capable of producing body armor that meets the Defense Ministry's technical requirements. Ukrainian Armor was also the first one to receive a license for the production of body armor for female military personnel.
While the company's work is blocked, the Defense Ministry's procurement agency is struggling to find enough suppliers to cover its demand.
The bureau has launched four similar cases regarding defense suppliers, its representatives told Forbes.
The bureau was established in 2021 as the key agency for combatting economic crimes. Several media outlets and civil society organizations have complained since then that the body fell under the unofficial influence of Oleh Tatarov, a controversial deputy head of the Presidential Office.
The parliament approved a bill on the bureau's reform in June in an effort to "meet the requirements of international partners, businesses, and the public.
Andrii Borovyk
Two more Russian kamikaze drones enter Belarusian airspace
Two Russian Shahed-type kamikaze drones flew into Belarus overnight on July 16, the third and fourth to do so in the last week, according to the Belarusian Hajun monitoring group.
One of the drones entered Belarusian airspace just after 4 a.m. local time and traveled some 50 kilometers (around 30 miles) before exiting the country into Ukrainian airspace, the group said.
The second entered Belarus at 8:40 a.m. and then proceeded to fly a winding path of more than 300 kilometers (185 miles) toward the city of Mahiliou.
A Belarusian Su-30 fighter jet and Mi-24 helicopter were scrambled to intercept the drone, Hajun reports.
The drone's current whereabouts or where it crashed have not yet been reported.
Ukraine's Air Force reported shooting down two Shahed drones on July 16, with two more "located in the airspace of Belarus."
On July 13, another Russian Shahed kamikaze drone targeting Ukraine veered off course and flew more than 350 kilometers (220 miles) over Belarusian airspace, following a similar incident two days earlier.
Elsewhere, a Ukrainian drone dropped explosives on a factory in the Russian town of Korenovo, Kursk Oblast, acting Governor Alexei Smirnov said on July 16.
The resulting explosion caused a fire that first responders were working to extinguish, Smirnov said at 12:32 a.m. local time. He claimed that no factory workers were injured in the fire.
Separately, Smirnov said that a Ukrainian drone dropped explosives on the town of Tyotkino, located some 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Korenovo. Smirnov claimed that the explosives landed on a house and injured its resident.
Ukrainian authorities have not publicly commented on either of these claims, and the Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify them.
Alexander Khrebet
