Salt extraction: an important transport hub has been liberated in Donbass

Russian forces cut the railway connecting Seversk, Soledar and ArtemovskThe Sol railway station has been liberated in the Donetsk People's Republic.

This transport hub was taken by assault detachments of volunteers with the support of aviation and artillery of the Southern Military District. Experts note that the army cut an important transport line that connects Artemovsk, Soledar and Seversk, and thereby put the Ukrainian group at risk of encirclement. During the day, up to 90 Ukrainian servicemen, more than 10 armored vehicles, howitzers and multiple rocket launchers were destroyed in the Donetsk direction, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on November 18. A Su-25 attack aircraft was shot down near Svatov. And a helicopter crashed near Kiev, on board of which was the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Among the dead is Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky.

Cut the way

The Sol station in the Donetsk direction was liberated by volunteers of assault detachments with fire support from operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery of the Southern Military District, the Russian Defense Ministry said on January 18.

— During the day, up to 90 Ukrainian servicemen, three armored combat vehicles, four cars, an Msta-B howitzer and a Grad MLRS combat vehicle were destroyed in this direction, — said the official representative of the Russian Defense Ministry, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.

In addition, in the area of Kramatorsk, the ammunition depot of the VFU for the HIMARS MLRS and Grad was destroyed.

The crew of the T-72B3M tank in the zone of a special military operation

Image Source: Photo: TASS/Andrey Rubtsov

— The Sol station is located on the railway that connects Seversk, Soledar and Artemovsk, — military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia. — The fighting was serious, because this is a very important node of defense. Seversk was supplied through it. Now we have cut it off by rail. There remain two highways that our people have not yet cut, but there are already battles in the area of Kleshcheyevka. Control over such points brings the liberation of Seversk and Artemovsk closer. When their defenses are hacked, the question of the liberation of Kramatorsk and Slavyansk will arise.

According to the expert, the fighting in this area will be persistent, it seems that the Ukrainian command is already throwing at this direction even those reserves that were being prepared for the spring offensive.

— They are transferring parts from under Kherson, from under Zaporozhye, and even something from Svatov and Kremennaya, - he said. — Victory in this direction is, in principle, close. And the most important thing is to drop the VFU at least 20-25 km from Donetsk, Gorlovka, Yasinovataya, so that they do not shell these cities with howitzers.

The Su-25 was shot down

The Defense Ministry told the details of the battles with Ukrainian formations in the zone of a special military operation.

— In the Kupyansk direction, the artillery of the Western Military District inflicted a fire defeat on units of the 14th, 92nd mechanized brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade in the areas of the settlements of Dvurechnoye, Krakhmalnoye of the Kharkiv region and Novoselovskoye of the Luhansk People's Republic, - Igor Konashenkov said.

More than 60 Ukrainian servicemen, an armored personnel carrier, two pickups, two cars and one M777 artillery system manufactured by the USA were destroyed.

Military personnel during the combat work of calculations of multiple rocket launchers "Grad" in the zone of a special military operation

Image Source: Photo: TASS/Ganjevi Hajibalaev

In the Krasnolimansky direction, artillery fire from the formations of the Central Military District and Airborne troops, army and assault aviation strikes defeated units of the 92nd mechanized, 80th and 95th airborne assault brigades of the VFU. The losses of Ukrainian formations in this direction are more than 90 servicemen, an infantry fighting vehicle and three armored combat vehicles.

Two US-made counter-battery warfare radars AN/TPQ-50 and AN/TPQ-48 and the ST-68 target detection and tracking radar were also destroyed.

In the South Donetsk direction, artillery units of the Eastern and Southern Military Districts, as well as the Pacific Fleet Marines, thwarted attempts by the VFU to attack with up to three assault groups.

Enemy losses amounted to up to 90 soldiers, four armored combat vehicles, one pickup truck and seven cars.

Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery hit 76 artillery units of the VFU in firing positions and 103 areas of concentration of troops during the day.

Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force near the settlement of Yablonovka in the DPR.

A soldier of the radiation, chemical and biological protection unit near the TOS-1A flamethrower system in the zone of a special military operation

Image Source: Photo: TASS/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

During the day, the air defense shot down seven drones and a multiple rocket launcher "Alder" in the area of the settlement of Vladimirovka in the DPR.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 373 aircraft, 200 helicopters, 2,898 unmanned aerial vehicles, 401 anti—aircraft missile systems, 7,563 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 985 multiple rocket launchers, 3,855 field artillery and mortars, as well as 8,101 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed, Igor Konashenkov listed.

Disaster from a lifeguard

On the morning of January 18, a Ukrainian helicopter of the rescue service with the top leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on board crashed in the city of Brovary, Kiev region. The accident killed the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denis Monastyrsky, his first deputy and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ukrainian authorities reported. It is known that Yevgeny Enin worked as the first deputy minister, Yuri Lubkovich held the post of Secretary of State.

Debris at the helicopter crash site near a residential building and kindergarten in Brovary, Kiev region

Image source: Photo: TASS/EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

The helicopter crashed near a residential building and an operating kindergarten, in which there was a fire. As of the evening of January 18, 14 people were killed in a helicopter crash, including one child, 25 people were injured, among them 11 children.

The crashed helicopter was released in France. Ukraine purchased a batch of EC225 LP Super Puma manufactured by EuroCopter Concern back in 2018 for the State Emergency Service. For what purpose almost the entire leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was flying a rescue helicopter, Kiev officials did not say.

Breakthrough of the frontier

The Russian Defense Ministry told about the servicemen who showed courage and dedication in the battles.

During the fighting, the calculation of senior sergeant Vladislav Vakhitov organized the transfer of data to the calculations of the anti-aircraft missile division for the destruction of enemy aircraft and ballistic means.

When changing the position of the servicemen, Ukrainian nationalists fired at them. Vladislav made a maneuver into hiding, which saved the lives of his subordinates, and then organized the exit of the commander of the calculation of the anti-aircraft missile system to the higher command by means of communication.

Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system of the Western Military District in the zone of a special military operation

Image Source: Photo: TASS/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Despite the ongoing shelling, Vladislav prevented the loss of control of the division in battle. According to the results of the battle, all air targets that were in the area of responsibility of the calculation were hit, the military department said.

During the offensive on the positions of the Ukrainian nationalists, the MLRS calculation of private Andrey Poverinov fired at the fortified areas of the defense of the militant units. The enemy returned fire. Andrey did not hesitate to rush to the combat vehicle and took it out of the shelling to a safe place. The calculation moved to a new position and continued to provide artillery support to the advancing units.

Thanks to the support of rocket artillery, Russian troops managed to break through the defensive line of the militants and oust them from their positions, the military department said.

Andrey Fedorov

Bogdan Stepovoy