The military expert assessed the balance of forces before the large-scale offensive of the Russian Armed Forces in the Donbass
The Russian Armed Forces have moved to the second phase of the military operation — the offensive against the AFU grouping in the Donbass, experts interviewed by Izvestia state. According to them, air superiority will play an important role in it. On April 18, at about 23.00 Moscow time, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced the beginning of the "battle for Donbass". Military correspondents of Izvestia reported massive volleys on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donetsk and Lugansk. Earlier on Monday, Russian forces struck at the Ukrainian troops' rear support center in Lviv, destroying a large batch of foreign weapons. Operational and tactical aviation began to work more intensively: during the day it struck almost two hundred targets, including the Tochka-U missile head parts factory in Dnepropetrovsk.
New strikes
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, on the morning of April 18, air-launched cruise missiles struck the 124th Joint logistics support Center of the command of the logistics forces of the Ukrainian troops in the city of Lviv. As a result, large shipments of foreign weapons that have arrived in Ukraine from the United States and European countries over the past six days have been destroyed. Another ammunition depot was smashed near the town of Vasilkov in the Kiev region. During the night, 16 other objects were hit by high-precision aviation weapons.
— Missile forces have struck with high-precision ground-based Iskander missiles. Four warehouses of weapons and Ukrainian military equipment were destroyed, as well as three areas of concentration of enemy manpower near the settlements of Popasnaya, Yampol and Kramatorsk, — said the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Major General Igor Konashenkov.
Strike by the Iskander operational-tactical missile system against the AFU facilities on the territory of Ukraine
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Press Service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Tactical aviation has increased its activity compared to the previous days. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on the night of April 18, it struck 108 military targets, and 84 more targets in the afternoon. Among them is the Tochka—U missile head parts repair plant in Dnepropetrovsk.
Army aviation helicopters destroyed eight tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, as well as up to a company of AFU servicemen in the areas of Pashkovo, Veseloye and Ilyichevka.
In the afternoon, rocket troops and artillery struck 331 military facilities, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. At the same time, nine control points, a warehouse of rocket and artillery weapons, as well as 315 enemy manpower concentration areas in the areas of Popasnaya and Novomayorskoye settlements were hit.
During the day, two MiG-29 fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were shot down near the town of Izyum and one Su-25 near Avdiivka, as well as 12 drones. The Ministry of Defense reported on the successful interception by air defense systems of ten large-caliber multiple rocket launchers fired by the APU at the village of Chernobayevka in the Kherson region.
—Since the beginning of the special military operation, 139 aircraft, 483 unmanned aerial vehicles, 250 anti—aircraft missile systems, 2,337 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 254 multiple rocket launchers, 1,009 field artillery and mortars, as well as 2,196 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed," Igor Konashenkov listed.
At about 23.00 Moscow time, Izvestia correspondent Denis Kulaga reported on a large-scale artillery preparation from Donetsk and Lugansk on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Vladimir Zelensky said on the same day that Russian troops "began the battle for Donbass, for which they had been preparing for so long."
As military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia, the Russian military has already moved on to the second phase of a special military operation — a large-scale offensive aimed at the final defeat of Ukrainian troops in the Donbas and the liberation of the territories of the people's republics.
— Now the Russian Armed Forces are launching missile and air strikes not only behind enemy lines, but also on positions directly on the front line, – said the military expert. — This means that the offensive will begin soon. The situation at the front is developing very well for the Russian troops and the people's militia of the Luhansk and Donetsk republics. The Ukrainian forces in Mariupol have been defeated, which means that the enemy group in the Donbas has irretrievably lost a large number of well-trained personnel, as well as a significant part of armored vehicles and weapons. And there is nothing to replace these losses. In turn, the allied forces, after the defeat of Mariupol, released a large number of forces and means that can be used in any direction.
According to Vladislav Shurygin, an important role in the upcoming offensive will be played by overwhelming Russian firepower, as well as total air superiority. Therefore, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will be able to defeat Ukrainian armed formations to the full depth of their combat order — from objects on the front line to points in the deepest rear.
Photo: TASS/Krasilnikov Stanislav
Image source: iz.ru
On April 18, Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of the National Defense Management Center (NCSO), spoke about the humanitarian situation in the combat areas.
— 12,066 people were evacuated from dangerous areas of Ukraine, the DPR and the LPR during the day, — said Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev. — 1,715 of them are children, and since the beginning of the special military operation, 863,676 people have already died, of which 158,172 are children. 114,060 units of personal motor transport crossed the State border of the Russian Federation, 976 of them per day.
There are enough buses at the checkpoints to transport people to their chosen places of residence or temporary accommodation.
The general said that Ukrainian nationalists continue to hold 6,208 foreign citizens from nine countries hostage as a "human shield". In addition, 76 foreign vessels from 18 countries remain blocked in Ukrainian ports. The threat of shelling and high mine danger created by official Kiev in its internal waters and on the territorial sea do not allow vessels to freely enter the open sea, Mikhail Mizintsev noted.
Thwarted breakthrough
On April 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded the honorary title of "Guards" to the 64th separate motorized rifle Brigade with the wording "For mass heroism and bravery, fortitude and courage shown by the brigade's personnel in combat operations to protect the Fatherland." This compound is stationed in the Khabarovsk Territory in the village of Knyaz-Volkonskoye. The brigade is part of the 35th Combined Arms Army.
"This is a high honor and recognition of your special merits, mass heroism and bravery shown in the defense of the Fatherland, upholding the sovereignty and national interests of Russia," the head of state said.
He called the actions of the brigade's servicemen "a model of military duty, bravery, dedication and high professionalism" and wished them to continue to serve Russia, ensuring the safety of its citizens.
On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry told about the soldiers and officers who showed courage and dedication in the battles. An engineering and reconnaissance group under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Lysenko discovered the Ukrainian saboteurs, engaged them in battle and defeated them, although they had numerical superiority. After that, the group cleared the area. Alexander Lysenko personally discovered and destroyed 22 foreign-made mines.
— By his decisive actions, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Lysenko ensured the rapid advance of the troops. At the same time, there were no losses among Russian engineers," the Russian military department stressed.
Photo: RIA Novosti
Image source: iz.ru
The commander of the MLRS calculation, Sergeant Denis Kaymakov, destroyed the stronghold of the Ukrainian formations with accurate fire. Having received information from intelligence, he promptly made calculations for firing and delivered a fire attack on the enemy. Accurate volleys destroyed two infantry fighting vehicles, mortar positions and about 15 militants, the Defense Ministry said.
— The actions of Sergeant Denis Kaymakov made it possible to change the balance of forces in the clash with the nationalists, as a result of which the Russian servicemen launched a counteroffensive and destroyed the enemy, — the military department noted.
The tank company of Senior Lieutenant Abdu-Wali Zhusupov, as part of a battalion-tactical group, participated in the encirclement of Ukrainian armed formations when the militants went for a breakthrough. Zhusupov's tank company was attacked by up to 15 tanks and about 100 militants, but they failed to escape — having lost 12 tanks, they retreated. During the battle, Abdu-Wali personally destroyed two tanks and up to 15 militants. Thanks to courage, dedication, as well as a high level of training, the tank company of senior Lieutenant Zhusupov did not allow the enemy to escape from the encirclement, the military department said.
Anton Lavrov