Russia’s war on Ukraine. 18.03.2024

In the operational zone of the Ukrainian Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSG) “Khortytsia” on the Kupyansk direction, the enemy attempted two unsuccessful assaults on the Defense Forces’ positions near Synkivka. On the Lyman direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 3 Russian attack in the area of Rozdolivka, where the enemy attempted to breach the defense. On the Bakhmut direction, they repelled 8 Russian attacks in the areas of Ivanivske and Klishchiivka.

In the “Tavriya” OSG operational zone on the Avdiivka direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 13 enemy attacks in the area of Berdychi, Tonenke, Pervomaiske, Orlivka, Oleksandrivka, and Nevelske. On the Novopavlivka direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces continued to hold back the enemy in the areas of Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Novomykhailivka and Pobieda, where the enemy, supported by aviation, attempted to breach the defense thirty-six times. On the Orikhiv direction, the enemy attacked the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces 7 times in the areas of Robotyne and northwest of Verbove.

In the operational zone of the “Odesa” OSG on the Kherson direction, the enemy remains determined to dislodge the units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces from the bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnipro River and made 3 unsuccessful assaults.

General conclusion:

• The forces of the 2nd Army Corps of the Russia’s 8th Army attempted unsuccessfully to attack on the Siversky direction.
• The “Freedom of Russia” Legion (LSR) and the “Siberian Battalion” entered the border town Horkovsky in the Belgorod region and seized the administrative building of the town. Local combat clashes continue in the areas of Kozinka and Spodaryushyno in the Belgorod region.

Change in the line of contact (LoC):  

• There were 72 combat engagements on various fronts.
• On the Kupyansk direction, positional battles took place along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line.
• On the Lyman direction, positional battles persisted near Bilohorivka, where the “Aida” group of the “Ohotnik” special rapid response detachment of the Russian National Guard from Chechnya is active. Enemy units of the 346th Separate Marines Brigade are engaging in combat near Lysychansk.
• On the Bakhmut direction, the forces of the “Khortytsia” OSG  repelled an enemy assault near Rozdolivka. Near Spirne, the 6th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 2nd Army Corps of the Russia’s 8th Army attempted an unsuccessful attack.
• Positional battles continued near Bohdanivka, Ivanivske, east of Chasiv Yar, Klishchiivka, Shumy, and Pivdenne.
• On the Avdiivka direction, Russian forces advanced northwest of Tonenke and toward the center of Orlivka. Positional battles took place near Oleksandropil, Novobakhmutivka, Berdychi, Orlivka, Tonenke, Pervomaiske, and Nevelske.
• On the Novopavlivka direction, units of the “Tavriya” OSG forces were attacked by the 39th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 68th Army Corps south of Novomykhailivka, where they had advanced in this area. The enemy made slight progress northeast of Maryinka. Positional battles continued near Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Novomykhailivka, and Pobieda.
• On the Berdyansk direction, Russian forces advanced near Malynivka and repelled Ukrainian attacks near Vodyane, Volodymyrivka, and Urozhaine.
• On the Orikhiv direction, the 35th Army captured Myrne, advanced near Robotyne, and Verbove.
• In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consisted of:
  • Mediterranean Sea: 3 ships, including 2 Cruise Missile Carriers. The total salvo is 12 “Kalibr” cruise missiles.
• The Ukrainian offensive campaign has forced the Russian Black Sea Fleet (BSF) to redeploy most of its naval forces from its main base in Sevastopol to smaller and less effective bases in Novorossiysk and other locations. The Armed Forces of Ukraine Strategic Communications Center (StratCom) reported that as of the beginning of February 2024, Ukrainian strikes had disabled approximately 33 percent of the BSF’s naval vessels, including 24 ships and one submarine.

Changes in the enemy disposition:

• The 6th Motorized Rifle Division of the 3rd Army Corps is engaging in combat operations on the Bakhmut direction.
• Near Klishchiivka, units of the 78th Motorized Regiment “Sever-Akhmat” of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division are operating.
• The 305th Artillery Brigade of the 5th Army is conducting combat operations near Novomykhailivka.
• The 60th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 5th Army is advancing near Staromayorske.
• On the Zaporizhzhia direction, the 3rd BARS detachment “Rodina” is active.

Possible operation situation developments:

• Over the next 34 months, Russia intends to capture Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv Oblasts.
• The adversary’s command will commit the 348th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 90th Tank Division in the direction of Berdychi or Novobakhmutivka.
• The enemy command will attempt to breach the defense of the Ukrainian “Tavriya” OSG on the Pokrovsk direction and capture Toretsk.
• To bolster efforts on the Berdyansk direction, the enemy command may deploy a portion of units from the 34th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 336th Separate Marines Brigade of the Russian Baltic Fleet, which were previously replaced by the 5th Separate Tank Brigade as part of the operational reserve of the “Vostok (East)” Operational Grouping.
• The command of the 58th Army is poised to imminently deploy the 136th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade into the operation northwest of Robotyne, aiming to bypass this defensive node of the Ukrainian OSG “Tavria” from the north and cut off the Robotyne-Novodanylivka road.

Russian operational losses from 24.02.22 to 18.03.24 

Personnel – almost 431,550 people (+810);

Tanks – 6,809 (+19);

Armored combat vehicles – 13,014 (+17);

Artillery systems – 10,668 (+34);

Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,017 (0);

Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 720 (0);

Vehicles and fuel tanks – 14,141 (+68);

Aircraft – 347 (0);

Helicopters – 325 (0);

UAV operational and tactical level – 8,308 (+36);

Intercepted cruise missiles – 1,922 (0);

Boats/ships – 27 (0).

Humanitarian+general:

• According to information provided by the Situation Center of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russian troops shelled 11 regions of Ukraine over the past day. A total of 115 towns and villages and 190 infrastructure objects were attacked with various types of weapons. The number of casualties is being updated/clarified.
• During the night of March 18, the enemy launched five S-300/S-400 surface-to-air guided missiles at Kharkiv Oblast, two Kh-59 guided aviation missiles at Sumy Oblast, and 22 Shahed UAVs. As a result of Ukrainian Air Defense operations, 17 Shahed drones were shot down within the territories of Kyiv, Poltava, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia, and Rivne Oblasts.
• During the night air alert in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the air defense forces successfully intercepted one enemy drone. A woman was injured in the drone attack and was hospitalized.
• In Donetsk Oblast, rescuers assisted in the evacuation of 155 civilians over the past week: 11 were transported from active combat zones, while 144 individuals were assisted in reaching evacuation transportation.
• Since the beginning of 2024, 97 children have been evacuated from the hazardous Toretsk urban community in Donetsk Oblast, with another 14 still remaining in the community.
• Information about more than 128,000 victims of war crimes committed by Russia has been recorded in the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations, and this number continues to grow daily, according to the press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
• The percentage of migrants intending to return to Ukraine is gradually decreasing: about one and a half years ago, approximately 50% of Ukrainian refugees expressed such an intention, but today, according to survey data cited by Hlib Vyshlinskyi, Executive Director of the Center for Economic Strategy, this figure stands at 26%.
• The enemy is fully prepared to mobilize Ukrainians residing in the occupied territories, stated Ivan Fedorov, Chief of the Zaporizhzhya Oblast Military Administration. Over the past four months, they have systematically organized for mobilization, registering all individuals eligible for military service. Military registration stations have been set up in every district, town, and even at every enterprise, with the aim of enlisting all residents and acquiring thorough knowledge of their whereabouts. Fedorov is confident that following the fraudulent elections, they will commence mobilizing residents of the occupied territories.

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