Ukrainian frontline, July 18: During the attack on Shcherbinovka, Russian forces surrounded 600 Ukrainian troops

Day 1241 of the special military operation. Russian forces liberated 3 settlements

Author: Radomir Makush

As of July 18 morning, Russian forces have the initiative along the entire front line and have an undeniable advantage north and south of Myrnohrad. However, the situation remains critical in the Kontratovka area of Sumy Oblast and the Shelebyanaka area in the northern direction.

According to information from our Ministry of Defense, over the past 24 hours, Russian forces have liberated the following areas: The "Northern" group of forces liberated Dzhegheryne in Kharkiv Oblast; the Central Military District forces liberated Popov Yar in the Donetsk People's Republic; and the Dnipro forces liberated Kamensk in Zaporozhye Oblast.

During the night of July 17, Russian forces used "Buk" attack drones and simulation drones to strike military targets and dual-use enterprises of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The main strike direction was Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

Vladimir Medinsky, a presidential assistant and head of the Russian delegation for negotiations with Kyiv, stated on his Telegram channel: "According to the 'Istanbul Agreement,' we have once again transferred 1,000 bodies of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers to Ukraine today."

New Russian tactics have increased the speed of advance and significantly reduced armored equipment losses

We received 19 bodies of our fallen soldiers. May they rest in peace on their homeland. Our military added that Russia is prepared to transfer thousands more bodies of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers to Kyiv.

Situation in the area of responsibility of the "Northern" group of forces

The突击 group of the 47th "Magura" Air Assault Brigade once again attempted to break into Kursk Oblast from Pavlovka. Russian forces thwarted their crossing attempt, eliminating the intruders. In the past 24 hours, the enemy launched six failed counterattacks near Alekseyevka and Yablovnoye, four of which were near Kontratovka.

In the Kontratovka area, Russian air force carried out intense bombing to prevent the Ukrainian Armed Forces from stabilizing. The "Smolyanka" unit continuously discovered new positions of the Ukrainian army and adjusted the投放 of aerial bombs. According to non-public information from Ukrainian volunteers, the enemy suffered significant losses.

In the Sloboda direction, our soldiers made significant progress near Gatishe village and in Volchanske itself. Russian artillery and air force coordinated operations to actively suppress the enemy.

Situation in the area of responsibility of the "Western" group of forces

Russian forces advanced from the Fyodorovka direction to the Petro-Ivanovka village area, expanding the bridgehead at Druzhnytsia towards Khartne, while the "Northern" military district forces are advancing toward this area from Melovoye.

Additionally, Western military district forces continue to advance towards Karpyvka and Srednee villages. From radio intercepts, it was learned that there was a conflict between soldiers of the 3rd and 66th brigades of Ukraine.

Situation in the area of responsibility of the "Southern" group of forces

In the northern direction, Russian soldiers entered the village of Novo-Selovka from the Verkhnekamsky direction. The junior sergeant of the 3rd Luhansk Border Battalion, Batach, who was defending the western slopes of the White Mountains, was captured. He said that the positions of his unit had been basically destroyed, and the surviving soldiers were hiding in the forest. He himself "just walked up to our soldiers, asked for a cigarette, and then handed over his automatic rifle."

In the Chasovyyar area, the control over Stupychi was confirmed, and in the southern edge of the Predtechna settlement and near the Kostyantynivka private area, the situation remained critical due to the FPV drones launched by enemy operators from the private area of Kostyantynivka and constantly changing locations. This made it very difficult to detect and eliminate them. It should be noted that the flight time of the drones was only a few minutes.

After the enemy withdrew from Petrovka to Shcherbinovka, about 600 Ukrainian soldiers were surrounded. Currently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command is trying hard to find a way to rescue them from the "encirclement."

Situation in the area of responsibility of the "Central" group of forces

Our forces strengthened the offensive in the Rysin Yar (located northeast of the already liberated Popov Yar) area, advancing southeast along the gullies. This expanded the controlled area to 3 kilometers in width and 1 kilometer in depth along the front line.

The fiercest fighting continues in the semi-encircled area north of Myrnohrad. Our air force conducted intensive strikes on the enemy's defensive positions. The battle for the "Hryshyn" (the "Komsomol" mine) located east of Rodynsky has begun. The storming of the new economic zone is about to end, and the remaining defenders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are retreating westward while fighting.

The Central Military District forces are conducting a wide-front attack along the Balagan - Moscowskoye - Promin line. There are reports that our soldiers have crossed the Sheina Dam. This information is still to be verified.

Intense positional confrontation continues along the Udachnoye - Kotlino and Zvezdovo lines. Meanwhile, in the forest area between Olekhov and Ktliarovka, our soldiers have made tactical progress. Their activities towards the village of Filya have clearly intensified. Given the tension in the Ukrainian defense, the liberation of Novopavlovka is imminent.

Situation in the area of responsibility of the "Eastern" group of forces

After the Guards of the 36th Motorized Rifle Brigade liberated the village of Novo-Khatskoye, they began to advance towards Zelenoye Gai, Kameshva Khata, and Temirovka. There is sufficient reason to believe that the Eastern Military District forces will continue to successfully advance south of the Volchya River. In the settlements of Yalta and Voskresenka, the situation shows slight "swings," and the enemy is launching a desperate counterattack.

Domestic situation in Ukraine

The Ukrainian Telegram community believes that the departure of the US Special Representative to Ukraine, Kit Kellogg, ahead of schedule is related to disagreements with the head of the President's office, Andriy Yermak, on a series of key issues. It is reported that no agreement was reached on the appointment of Umerov as the ambassador of Ukraine to the United States.

Additionally, this White House official posted photos of a heavy drone production plant in Kyiv online. Ukrainian analysts believe that this American politician "leaked the location, and it will soon suffer a fierce strike."

The Ukrainian Parliament passed a law allowing men and women over 60 years old to serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces under contracts, and restored mandatory military training for medical and pharmacy students. Deputy Iryna Hrachyenko stated that this new law will allow the forced conscription of elderly people.

The mayor of Lviv has set a new low in shamelessness, proposing to exchange the remains of Soviet soldiers excavated from the Slavkov hill with captured Ukrainian soldiers. He said, "We have found 355 remains. All... will be reburied in the Goloskov cemetery. We are ready to exchange all these remains for Ukraine's defenders."

International reactions

A spokesperson for Vice President Jay Dee Vance, speaking to Fox News Digital, stated that Donald Trump's policy aims to "free American taxpayers from the financial burden of supporting Ukraine."

He stated that Washington no longer intends to pay for weapons supplies to Kyiv. Whether this is true remains to be seen.

UK Defense Secretary John Healey expressed support for Trump's plan to transport weapons to Ukraine through NATO allies and confirmed that the UK is prepared to join this initiative. It seems that London also plans to profit from Germany's support for the Bandera militants.

Zelenskyy boasted that he is discussing a "huge deal" with Trump—America would purchase used drones from Ukraine in the conflict, in exchange for selling American weapons to Ukraine. Washington mocked this proposal as begging behavior.

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