Situation update of General Staff of UAF regarding russian invasion as of 6 p.m., March 18, 2023

Day 388 of the russian full-scale invasion continues.

The russian federation’s main focus is the offensive operations on Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mar’inka, and Shakhtars’ke axes. Bakhmut remains the epicenter of the fighting.

Failing to achieve the desired result on the battlefield, the russian federation uses terror tactics against civilians. The invaders are shelling towns and villages, as well as critical infrastructure, in violation of International Humanitarian Law.

During the day of March 18, the adversary launched 5x missile attacks, 4x of which targeted civilian infrastructure facility in Zaporizhzhya. The enemy also launched 16x air strikes and more than 20x MLRS attacks.

The probability of enemy missile attacks across Ukraine remains high.

Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: the operational situation is stable. Enemy units remain stationed near the state border of Ukraine, but no formation of offensive groups was found. The training of units of the territorial troops of the russian armed forces continues at the training grounds of the republic of belarus. During the day of March 18, the enemy shelled the vicinities of settlements of Oleksandrivka (Chernihiv oblast), Kharkivka, Starikove (Sumy oblast), Chervona Zorya, Veterynarne, Strilecha, Starytsya, Vovchans’k, and Velykyi Burluk (Kharkiv oblast).

Kup’yans’k and Lyman axes: the adversary continues its attempts to break through the defense of Ukrainian troops. The enemy conducted unsuccessful offensive operations in the vicinities of settlements of Dibrova, Verkhn’okam’yans’ke, and Spirne. The invaders fired artillery at the vicinities of settlements of Putnykove, Krasne Pershe, Dvorichna, Hryanykivka, Kup’yans’k, Krokhmal’ne, Berestove (Kharkiv oblast), Novoselivs’ke, Nevs’ke, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast), Spirne, and Fedorivka (Donetsk oblast).

Bakhmut axis: the enemy continues attempts to capture the city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian defenders repelled adversary attacks in the vicinities of settlements of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Hryhorivka, and in the northern part of Bakhmut. Vasyukivka, Zaliznyans’ke, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Hryhorivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivske, Chasiv Yar, Kurdyumivka, Ozarianivka, and Pivnichne (Donetsk oblast) came under enemy fire.

Avdiivka, Mar’inka, Shakhtars’ke axes: the adversary conducted unsuccessful offensive operations towards the settlements of Kam’yanka, Sjeverne, Pervomais’ke, and Mar’inka. Kam’yanka, Lastochkyne, Avdiivka, Tonen’ke, Heorhiivka, Nevel’s’ke, Mar’inka, Vuhledar, and Velyka Novosilka (Donetsk oblast) came under enemy fire.

Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: the adversary is defending. In particular, Ol’hivs’ke, Chervone, Hulyaipole, Mala Tokmachka, Novodanylivka, Novoandriivka, and Kam’yans’ke (Zaporizhzhia oblast) came under fire. The city of Kherson was shelled yet again.

The russian occupants continue to use civilian institutions in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia oblast for their own needs. In particular, the enemy is using a school building in one of the settlements of Polohivs’kyi district as a field hospital with 50 beds. In this way, the occupiers attempt to reduce the time for their sanitary losses personnel to return to active duty.

In Rubizhne (Luhansk oblast), the local so-called “authorities” put in office by the occupation forces are forcing the residents to receive russian citizenship. Ukrainian passports are not yet being taken away from people, however, a passport of a citizen of the russian federation is required for employment.

During the day of March 18, the Ukrainian Air Force launched 6x air strikes on the concentrations of the invaders.

During the day of March 18 also, the Ukrainian defends forces shot down 1x enemy Shahed-136 UAV, and missile and artillery units hit 7x concentrations of enemy personnel and military equipment.

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Glory to Ukraine!