On August 18, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (GSAFU) reported that Russia carried out 239 attacks and another 189 assaults through 22:00 Hours Kyiv Time on Wednesday.
The 7-day moving average was 227. The VKS (Russian Aerospace Forces) and army aviation conducted 87 airstrikes using 302 precision-guided munitions. Russian ground forces executed approximately 3,050 fire missions and 11,150 strikes using wire-guided and first-person view (FPV) drones.
The heaviest fighting continues to be south of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, in the areas of Kostiantynivka, Dobropillya, and Pokrovsk. Despite the high operational tempo, no significant changes to territorial control were recorded in the last 24 hours.
Southwest of Druzhkivka, Russian infiltrations of Ukrainian defensive lines continued. Two or three Russian soldiers crossed the Hruzka River and entered the eastern part of Novomykolaivka. Russian source Vesti TV claimed the settlement was captured. The new infiltration occurred two days after Russian sabotage and reconnaissance forces crossed the Kazenyi Torets River and took up positions in Krasny Kut. Close combat and Ukrainian drone strikes were recorded in the area on Tuesday.
The gray area was expanded by 4.3 square kilometers. Yesterday’s claim by the Russian Ministry of Defense that Varvarivka was captured is false, and there is no evidence that Russian troops are operating within 8 kilometers of the settlement.
It remains unclear if this is similar to Russian cognitive warfare tactics used near Pokrovske in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, where a small group of Russian soldiers continued to advance until they were eliminated. The expanding infiltrations are concerning, but there is no evidence that Russian forces are establishing ground lines of communication (supply lines) and new defensive positions.
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The gray area was expanded by 8.1 square kilometers west of occupied Hryshyne, after Russian positions in the windbreaks north of the E-50 Highway were geoconfirmed.
After securing Hill 176 northwest of Solodke, Ukrianian forces have started to advance toward the village, occupying defensive positions in the windbreaks west of the village. Hill 176 and Hill 195 south of Solodke are key to the defense of Russian-occupied Uspenivka. The gray area was reduced by 4.2 square kilometers.
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