Ukraine destroyed a series of Russian ordnance depots in the 20th week of the war, demonstrating the efficiency of US-supplied HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) rocket systems and other Western systems, and worrying Russian military observers. These Ukrainian attacks appear to be part of preparations for a summer counteroffensive in the southern Kherson and Zaporizhia districts, which border Crimea. Ukraine said it destroyed a key Russian command post in Kherson district along with a weapons arsenal, killing 12 Russian soldiers on July 10. Its armed forces posted drone footage of a depot in flames. Two days later, Ukraine said it had struck another Russian ammunition depot in Nova Kakhovka, also in Kherson oblast, this time killing 52 soldiers.

Defence ministers from NATO countries and other parts of the world will convene to discuss weapons deliveries to Ukraine on Wednesday. The meeting comes as Kyiv seeks a significant increase in arms to fight off Russian forces. Ahead of the talks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said allies would continue to deliver heavy weapons and long-range systems to Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion on February 24, Ukraine has received billions of dollars' worth of weapons and military equipment from at least 28 countries. Twenty-five of the 28 nations providing military assistance to Ukraine are NATO members, including the US and UK, which are supplying Kyiv with sophisticated weapons such as multiple rocket launch systems (MLRS). Despite its growing arsenal, Ukraine, which has an active military personnel of just 200,000, is significantly outgunned by Russian forces.