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Russo-Ukraine War - 18 October 2022 - Day 237

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A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

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The UK Ministry of Defence reported that since 10 October, Russia has maintained a heightened tempo of long-range strikes against targets across Ukraine. These have been conducted by cruise missiles, air defence missiles in a surface-to-surface role, and Iranian-provided Shahed-136 one way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles. It is highly likely that a key objective of this strike campaign is to cause wide-spread damage to Ukraine's energy distribution network.

As Russia has suffered battlefield setbacks since August, it has highly likely gained a greater willingness to strike civilian infrastructure in addition to Ukrainian military targets.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day, units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled the attacks of the Russian occupiers in the areas of settlements: Ohirtseve, Kharkiv oblast; Bilohorivka, Luhansk oblast; Novokalynove and Maryinka, Donetsk oblast.

During the current day, Russian forces launched 9 missile and 10 air strikes, carried out more than 10 MLRS attacks.

Areas of more than 10 settlements were hit by Russia. Among them are Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kurakhove in the Donetsk oblast and Trykhaty in the Mykolaiv oblast. For this, Russian forces used cruise, aviation and anti-aircraft guided missiles. In addition, in one of the directions, Russian occupiers used 4 unmanned aerial vehicles of Iranian production "Shahed-136", 3 of which shot down units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

The situation in the Volyn and Polissya directions has not changed significantly. The Republic of Belarus continues to support the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, providing its infrastructure and airspace. here is still a threat of missile and air strikes, as well as the use of "Shahed-136" attack UAVs from the territory of the Republic of Belarus. Covert mobilization of the belarusian armed forces continues under the guise of training sessions. According to available information, measures are being taken to train operators of anti-aircraft missile systems and tank crews.

The enemy fired in other directions:

in the Siverskyi direction - from barrel artillery, within the Yunakivka settlement of Sumy oblast;
in the Slobozhanskyi direction - from mortars, barrel and jet artillery, in the areas of the settlements of Vovchanski Khutory, Hryhorivka, Komisarove, Ohirtseve, Starytsa, and Strilecha;
in the Kupyansk direction - from artillery of various types, in the areas of the settlements of Berestove, Hryanykivka, Dvorichna, Kamianka, Krasne, Kislivka, Kotlyarivka and Stelmakhivka;
in the Lymanskyi direction - from mortars, barrel and rocket artillery, in the areas of the settlements of Bilohorivka, Hrekivka, Zarichne, Kovalivka, Nadiya, Novoyehorivka, Olhivka and Torske.

On the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions, Russian forces fired tanks and artillery along the contact line. The settlements of Bakhmut, Soledar, Pervomaiske and Velyka Novosilka were directly affected. On the Novopavlivsky and Zaporizhzhia directions, Russian forces fired mortars, barrel and rocket artillery at the settlements of Pavlivka and Prechistivka.

In the South Buh direction, Russia is trying to improve logistical support, is shelling military and civilian infrastructure. Settlements along the contact line, including Vyshchetarasivka of the Dnipropetrovsk oblast, were damaged by fire.

Russian military-political leadership does not stop taking measures to replenish the personnel of units that have suffered losses on the territory of Ukraine. Despite the preliminary reservation of the list of employees of the Russian Federation's critical infrastructure, the heads of such enterprises still receive plans that they are forced to carry out. Therefore, they send their employees to the military commissariats.

The replenishment of losses of Russian units at the expense of prisoners continues. As of the beginning of October, more than half of the total eight thousand fighters of the private military company "Wagner" are mercenaries of the mentioned category.

Aviation of the Defense Forces of Ukraine carried out 20 strikes during the day. It was confirmed that 13 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment, a support point, as well as 7 positions of Russia's anti-aircraft missile systems were hit. In addition, Ukrainian air defense units shot down 5 cruise missiles. Soldiers of missile troops and artillery hit two control points, two areas of concentration of manpower, weapons and military equipment, two air defense and artillery facilities, two ammunition warehouses and other military targets of the enemy.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reports that during the fighting in the Kupyansk direction, the settlement of Gorobyevka was liberated. In addition, an attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) was repulsed near Kislovka, as a result of which over 60 enemy servicemen, a tank, three armored cars and two pickup trucks were destroyed.

At the same time, more than 90 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a tank, eight armored cars and 21 vehicles were liquidated during the battles in the Nikolaev-Kryvyi Rih direction.

During the strikes on Zaporozhye, the command post of the Ukrainian Dnepr group and the shops of the Iskra plant, where radar stations were being repaired, were hit.

In total, over the past 24 hours, 56 enemy artillery units, three ammunition depots and 132 areas of accumulation of manpower and equipment fell under shelling and air raids. Near Trifonovka and Nikolaevka, two batteries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed during the duel.

At the same time, air defense troops intercepted ten enemy drones.

Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to attack Russian positions on the Kislovka-Kotlyarovka line in the Kupyansky direction, having suffered losses and retreated. At the same time, mutual shelling of the parties continues in the Posad-Pokrovsky sector. Blows were inflicted on Ternovy Pody and Aleksandrovka.

LDNR

Russian units are storming the enemy's defenses in the Gorlovka area, where a deep system of fortifications has been created in eight years. One of the published videos shows the defeat of the enemy stronghold near the waste heap of the Vostochnaya mine in the village of Shumy.

The head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that today, from 13:00, border control is completely eliminated on the administrative border with the Russian Federation. It was instructed to carry out all necessary related activities.