⚡️Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation

(18 October 2023)

The Armed Forces of the RU FED continue the SMO.

▫️In Kupyansk direction, units of the Zapad Group of Forces supported by aviation & artillery repelled 13 attacks of assault detachments of the AFU 14th, 32nd, 43rd, & 115th mechanised brigades near Sinkovka, Ivanovka, Pershotravnevoye, Orlyanskoye (Kharkov region), and Sergeyevka (Lugansk People's Republic).

▫️Helicopters & heavy flamethrower systems delivered strikes on manpower & hardware of the AFU 68nd Jaeger Brigade & 103rd Territorial Defence Brigade near Nadiya (LPR) and Berestovoye (Kharkov reg).

▫️AFU losses amounted to up to 80 UKR troops, 3 tanks, 1 U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, 3 armoured fighting vehicles, 2 pick-up trucks, & 1 Akatsiya self-propelled artill syst.

▫️In Krasny Liman direction, units of the Tsentr GOF, helicopters & artill repelled 1 attack of an assault detachment of the AFU 63rd Mechd Brig close to Chervonaya Dibrova (LPR).

▫️Ground-attack aircraft & helicopters launched strikes at manpower & hardware of the AFU 67h Mechd Brig, 5th National Guard Brig, 1st Special Operations Brig, & 110th Territorial Defence Brig close to Grigorovka (Donetsk People's Republic), Chervonaya Dibrova (Lugansk People's Republic), and Serebryansky forestry.

▫️The enemy losses were up to 60 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, and two pick-up trucks.

▫️In Donetsk direction, units of the Yug Group of Forces supported by aviation and artillery inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the AFU 28th, 42nd, 67th, 93rd mechanised brigades, 112th Territorial Defence Brigade, and 79th Airborne Brigade close to Kurdyumovka, Andreyevka, Kleshcheyevka, Khromovo, and Mariynka (Donetsk People's Republic).

▫️The enemy in this direction lost up to 115 Ukrainian troops killed and wounded, two armoured fighting vehicles, two pick-up trucks, one D-20 howitzer, and one Msta-B howitzer.

▫️In South Donetsk direction, units of the Vostok Group of Forces supported by helicopters and artillery repelled one attack of an assault detachment of the AFU 102th Territorial Defence Brigade close to Chervonoye (Zaporozhye region).

▫️Ground-attack aircraft and helicopters launched strikes on manpower and hardware of the AFU 79th Airborne Brigade, 72nd Mechanised Brigade, 58th Motorised Brigade, 107th and 128th Territorial Defence Brigade near Novomikhailovka, Pavlovka, Staromayorskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

▫️The enemy's losses amounted to up to 170 Ukrainian troops, two pick-up trucks, as well as one Rapira anti-tank gun.

▫️In Zaporozhye direct, units of the RU Group of Forces supported by ground-attack aircraft, helicopters, and artillery repelled one attack of an assault detachment of the AFU 71st Jaeger Brigade close to Verbovoye (Zaporozhye region).

▫️Strikes were delivered at manpower & hardware of the AFU 82nd Airborne Brig & 116th Mechd Brig near Uspenovka (Zaporozhye reg).

▫️The enemy lost up to 85 UKR troops, 2 armoured fight vehics, 2 motor vehicles & 1 U.S.-made M119 howitzer in this direction.

▫️In Kherson direction, actions of 4 UKR sabotage & recon groups were foiled close to Podstepnoye & Poyma (Kherson reg).

▫️Up to 70 UKR troops & 2 motor vehics have been neutralised by fire.

▫️In the course of counterbattery warfare, 1 U.S.-made M777 artill syst & 2 D-30 howitzers were wiped out.

▫️Op'l-Tactical & Army aviation, UAVs & Missile Troops & Artillery of the RU GoF have engaged AFU manpower & hardware in 147 areas during the day.

▫️In addition, 1 air-delivered ordnance depot of the UKR Air Force was destroyed at Lozovoye airfield (Dnepropetrovsk reg).

▫️Command & observation posts of the AFU 67th Mechanised Brigade and 102nd Territorial Def Brig were destroyed near Serebryanka (DPR) & Malinovka (Zaporozhye reg).

▫️The Black Sea Fleet units neutralised one AFU uncrewed surface vehicle in the Black Sea waters.

▫️Air def systs have shot down 4 HIMARS MLRS shells & 1 U.S.-made JDAM aerial guided bomb.

▫️Moreover, 51 UAVs were shot down near Donetsk, Chervonaya Dibrova (LPR), Losovoye (DPR), Kamenskoye, Chervonogorka, Novofedorovka (Zaporozhye reg), & Kazachi Lageri, Sagi (Kherson reg), and Zhovtnevoye (Kharkov reg).

📊 In total, 491 airplanes and 251 helicopters, 8,004 UAVs, 441 air def missile systs, 12,746 tanks & other armoured fight vehics, 1,163 combat vehics equipped w MLRS, 6,810 field artillery guns & mortars, as well as 14,419 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the SMO.