The Russian Armed Forces are conducting an operation to reduce the striking power of the Ukrainian group, experts sayOn the night of May 18, the Russian army launched group strikes against large warehouses of foreign-made weapons and equipment, as well as enemy reserves.
Significant stocks of ammunition have been destroyed, the transfer of units to the line of contact has been stopped. Experts note that over the past few days, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have been conducting an operation to destroy rear warehouses with ammunition, equipment, fuel, as well as enemy reserves. It is designed to reduce the striking power of the Ukrainian group and already affects its ability to conduct offensive operations.
Reserves will not come
The aerospace forces, as well as ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the night of May 18, launched group strikes with high-precision long-range weapons at large warehouses of foreign-made weapons and equipment, as well as enemy reserves.
— As a result of the strikes, significant stocks of weapons and ammunition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed, and the advance of reserves to the areas of combat operations was stopped, — said the official representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov.
As sources familiar with the situation told Izvestia, as a result of the strike, warehouses and ammunition stocks of the southern VFU group were liquidated. They were planned to be used for active operations against Russian troops in the Kherson direction. All the tasks set during the strike were completed.
Photo: TASS/press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Image source: iz.ru
On the night of May 18, an air alert was announced throughout Ukraine. The Ministry of Energy of the country reported that as a result of the missile strike, energy facilities were damaged. According to these data, hits to the objects of energy infrastructure were recorded, a number of settlements in the Kiev, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Khmelnitsky regions were left without light. In the latter, overhead power lines were disconnected.
The Kiev authorities reported that the sounds of explosions sounded in the Darnitsky, Desnyansky and Dnepropetrovsk districts of the city, as well as in the region.
The authorities of the Odessa region reported damage to buildings of industrial enterprises. In the Khmelnitsky region, they reported hitting infrastructure facilities.
Massive missile strikes on enemy warehouses and reserves have been carried out for several days. The most powerful were on May 14 and 17. The Russian Defense Ministry previously reported that in the first case, a number of strikes were carried out on ammunition depots, weapons and military equipment provided by NATO countries in Ternopil and Petropavlovsk, Dnipropetrovsk region. On May 17, an ammunition depot on the territory of a ship repair enterprise in Nikolaev was destroyed.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
Image source: iz.ru
— For several days, our operation has been taking place to destroy ammunition depots, equipment, fuel, and enemy reserves in the far and middle rear, — military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia. — This is happening in the south — in Odessa and Nikolaev, — in the center and in the west of Ukraine. In particular, the units that they call the "offensive guard" are being attacked. Air-based, sea-based missiles and other means are used. This entails a weakening of the potential of the Ukrainian strike group and affects its ability to attack. If there are no shells, rockets, fuel, all this will be doomed to failure.
The expert noted that the offensive is what the curators demand from Kiev.
— But due to the fact that blows are being struck, they postpone it for later, — Vasily Dandykin believes. - They are trying to do something there, but nothing comes out. It will be our way. Soon, as I understand it, the long-suffering Artemovsk will be liberated.
All with combat experience
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected the progress of combat training of contractors at the training grounds of the Western Military District, the press service of the department reported on May 18.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Army General Oleg Salyukov, reported to the head of the Ministry of Defense that all classes at the training grounds are conducted under the guidance of officers who have received combat experience during a special operation. They are organized taking into account the specifics of the enemy's use of Western weapons.
Sergei Shoigu on the inspection of the organization of combat training at the training grounds of the Western Military District
Image source: Photo: t.me/mod_russia
Contractors are engaged in tactical and special, medical and fire training, driving combat and special equipment, as well as studying the operation of communications equipment. All perform shooting from various types of weapons.
Now there is a single training of contract soldiers and combat coordination as part of squads and platoons. Then the personnel will be sent to the points of permanent deployment for further training in their units and military units.
Mortars are firing
Mortar men of the 87th separate rifle regiment are moving to a firing position to cover the enemy's fortified area. The exact work of the fighters was shown by the correspondent of Izvestia Rodion Severyanov.
The fighters will have to strike at the Ukrainian fortified area with a machine—gun point - it was discovered by scouts.
Shooting is corrected from a quadrocopter. The first mine is a target mine. She lies down next to the enemy's positions. The next one hits exactly in the trench.
— Take cover! — the command sounds at the position of our mortars. An unknown drone was spotted in the sky.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Viktor Antonyuk
Image source: iz.ru
The fighters disguise the mortar with branches and take up positions in the trenches.
— Just now there was a sound of arrival, this is the Ukrainian artillery responding. They hit, as the guys say, at random, they don't really know the goal and try to hit something in this direction," Rodion Severyanov said.
After waiting out the artillery raid, the mortars start firing again. The sound of gunshots hits the ears. But mortar men don't wear special headphones.
— You can not hear and miss an enemy shot in them. It's better this way — a pogrom, but you can hear what's going on around," the fighter with the call sign Okrop clarified.
The target has been destroyed, the position of the militants has been "dismantled" cleanly, they are leaving their fortifications. They're running. Well, at least they take the wounded — which happens infrequently, said Rodion Severyanov.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Viktor Antonyuk
Image source: iz.ru
The mortar men of the 87th regiment are masking positions and waiting for new coordinates from intelligence.
Ukrainian Su-24 and Mi-8 shot down
On May 18, at least 520 people and 36 pieces of military equipment, including tanks, howitzers, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles, were lost in the special operation zone of the VFU, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
Russian assault detachments, with the active support of airborne units, continued fighting to liberate Artemovsk.
The total losses of the enemy in the Donetsk direction amounted to up to 200 Ukrainian servicemen and mercenaries, one tank, three armored fighting vehicles, five cars and two self-propelled artillery installations "Carnation".
Photo: RIA Novosti/Evgeny Biyatov
Image source: iz.ru
In the LPR and Kharkiv region, units of the 138th and 27th motorized rifle brigades and the 98th Airborne Division stopped the actions of four sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
The Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Su-24 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force near the settlement of Slavyansk in the DPR. Also, the Russian air defense in the area of the settlement of Novopavlovka in the Zaporozhye region destroyed a helicopter Mi-8 of the air forces of Ukraine.
Andrey Fedorov
Bogdan Stepovoy
Roman Kretsul
Alexey Ramm