Ukraine Targets 147 Russian Shadow Fleet Vessels in Week-Long Campaign; Defense Minister Dismissed

According to Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU), Ukrainian forces struck 147 vessels belonging to Russia's shadow fleet in operations conducted between July 6 and July 16. The military used domestically-developed naval drones, including the Mamai model, to attack two tankers in the Black Sea on July 16.

On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who led the drone-centric military modernization effort. The 35-year-old Fedorov, appointed in January 2026, had overseen development of domestically-produced combat drones to replace Chinese-made systems. His dismissal sparked large-scale protests across Ukraine amid reports of conflict with military establishment figures.