Russians concentrate efforts on five fronts – General Staff report

Russian occupation troops are concentrating their efforts on the Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka fronts, where 36 combat engagements between Ukrainian defenders and the Russians took place over the past day.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 06:00 on 18 July

Quote: "Last night, Russia launched another missile and drone attack on Ukraine with Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones. Information on the consequences of this terrorist attack is currently being clarified."

Details: Over the past 24 hours, the Russians carried out 5 missile strikes with S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems and 49 air strikes. Moreover, they fired from multiple-launch rocket systems over 60 times on the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements. Civilians were killed and injured as a result of the Russian terrorist attacks, and residential buildings, commercial and other civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged.

The Russians are concentrating their main efforts on the Kupiansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka fronts, where 36 combat engagements took place over the past day.

On the Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna fronts, Russian forces kept their military presence. They also launched an airstrike near Bilopillia (Sumy Oblast). The Russians deployed mortars and artillery to fire on more than 30 civilian settlements, including Chuikivka, Boiaro-Lezhachi, Iskryskivshchyna and Pavlivka (Sumy Oblast); and Vovchansk, Karaichne and Budarky (Kharkiv Oblast).

Ukrainian forces are holding the line on the Kupiansk front. 

Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations to the west of Lyman Pershyi (Kharkiv Oblast). They carried out airstrikes on Kyslivka and Kotliarivka. The settlements of Novomlynsk, Dvorichna, Zapadne, Kupiansk and Kyslivka (Kharkiv Oblast) came under Russian mortar and artillery fire.

On the Lyman front, Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations to the west of Dibrova and the east of Vesele (Luhansk Oblast). They also carried out airstrikes in and around Bilohorivka (Luhansk Oblast) and Terny and Spirne (Donetsk Oblast). The Russians shelled Nevske and Bilohorivka (Luhansk Oblast) and Torske, Verkhniokamianske, Spirne, Berestove and Rozdolivka (Donetsk Oblast).

On the Bakhmut front, the Ukrainian defenders successfully repelled all Russian attacks near Minkivka, to the south-east of Orikhovo-Vasylivka and to the south-east of Bohdanivka and Ivanivske, despite being constantly covered by Russian artillery and aircraft. The Russians launched airstrikes on the areas in and around Bohdanivka and Oleksandro-Shultyne. Over 15 settlements, including Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, Chasiv Yar, Pleshchiivka, Oleksandro-Shultyne, Pivnichne and Katerynivka (Donetsk Oblast) came under Russian artillery fire.

On the Avdiivka front, the Defence Forces repelled all the attacks near Avdiivka despite attacks from Russian aircraft. The Russians bombarded more than 15 civilian settlements, including Novoandriivka, Novobakhmutivka, Avdiivka, Nevelske and Karlivka (Donetsk Oblast).

On the Marinka front, Ukrainian forces continued to hold back an offensive by Russian troops in the area of Marinka and Krasnohorivka. The Russians attacked more than 10 civilian settlements, including Krasnohorivka, Marinka, Hostre, Veselyi Hai and Novomykhailivka (Donetsk Oblast).

On the Shakhtarsk front, Russian forces carried out airstrikes near Makarivka, Blahodatne, Novodarivka and Komar (Donetsk Oblast). The Russians shelled the settlements of Blahodatne, Vuhledar, Prechystivka, Neskuchne, Novodarivka and Rivnopil in Donetsk Oblast.

Russian forces on the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson fronts are focusing their efforts on preventing Ukrainian forces from advancing. They carried out an airstrike in and around Orikhiv (Zaporizhzhia Oblast). The Russians bombarded over 30 civilian settlements, including Vilne Pole and Vremivka (Donetsk Oblast); Zaliznychne, Verkhnia Tersa, Huliaipilske, Preobrazhenka and Bilohiria (Zaporizhzhia Oblast); Kherson, Mykhailivka, Novoberyslav, Mykilske, Inzhenerne and Kizomys (Kherson Oblast). The town of Chakiv in Mykolaiv Oblast also came under fire.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Defence Forces continued to conduct offensive operations on the Melitopol and Berdiansk fronts, where they are consolidating the positions they had previously captured and engaging in counter-battery fire.

Over the course of the day, Ukrainian aircraft carried out 11 airstrikes on areas where Russian military personnel, weapons and equipment were concentrated. The defenders also destroyed three Shahed-136 attack drones and six reconnaissance UAVs. 

Units from Ukraine’s Rocket Forces and Artillery struck a cluster of Russian military personnel, 2 TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems, 27 field artillery units, an ammunition storage point and an electronic warfare station.

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