On the Kursk direction, Russian forces captured the Sviatomykolaivskyi Monastery southwest of Guevo. Fighting continued near Hornal, Oleshnia, and Guevo, and they attempted to advance north of Bilovody. Fighting continued north of Yunakivka.

Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced on the southern outskirts of Basivka, pushed Russian forces north of Bilovody and the heights near Yunakivka.

On the Belgorod direction, Russian forces attempted to advance between Popovka and Demidovka.

Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Popovka and Demidovka.

On the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces conducted several localized attacks near Vovchansk but achieved no results.

Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Vovchansk.

On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces advanced east of Kamyanka, attacked near Zakhidne, Petropavlivka, Zahryzove, Bohuslavka, Nova Kruhlyakivka, Nadiia, Novoserhiyivka, Hrekivka, and toward Olkhivka. The 27th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Tank Army is attacking in the direction of Kindrashivka and Doroshivka.

Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked east of Zahryzove.

On the Lyman direction, Russian forces attempted to advance west of Yampolivka, reach the southern outskirts of Novomykhailivka, and attacked near Nove, Myrne, in the direction of Zelena Dolyna, and near Torske.

On the Siversk direction, Russian forces conducted assaults near Hryhorivka, near Verkhnyokamianske, Ivano-Dariivka, and Vyimka.

On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces advanced near Chasiv Yar, Ozaryanivka, toward Stupochky, and near Kurdyumivka.

On the Toretsk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced in the western part of Druzhba and counterattacked on the outskirts of Toretsk.

Russian forces advanced in the northern and northwestern parts of Toretsk and at the “Novotoretska” mine. The enemy is trying to capture Sukha Balka, advance northwest of Valentynivka, near Panteleymonivka, along the H20 highway Donetsk – Kostyantynivka west of Oleksandropil. The enemy advanced near Toretsk, Dachne, Druzhba, Dyliivka, Leonidivka, Sukha Balka, and Valentynivka.

On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces advanced east of Myroliubivka, attempted to advance southwest of Myroliubivka, west and east of Kalynove, northeast of Kotlyne, and attacked near Stara Mykolaivka, Zelene Pole, Vodyane Druhe, Promin, Oleksandropil, Novotoretske, Yelyzavetivka, Lysivka, Shevchenkove, Zelene, Zvirove, Pishchane, and Novooleksandrivka.

On the Novopavlivka direction, Russian forces advanced in northern Nadiivka, in the center of Kotlyarivka, north of Troitske, and attacked near Uspenivka, Bohdanivka, Konstyantynopil, Andriivka, Rozlyv, and Bahatyr, and attempted to advance on the eastern outskirts of Bahatyr and near Odradne.

Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced in Uspenivka and south of Odradne.

On the Huliaypole direction, Russian forces advanced southeast of Dniproenerhiya and attacked near Pryvilne.

Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Dniproenerhiya and Vesele.

On the Orikhiv direction, forces of the 58th Combined Arms Army advanced along the T0815 Orikhiv – Polohy highway south of Mala Tokmachka, south and southwest of Orikhiv, and continued assaults near Mala Tokmachka, Lobkove, Novodanylivka, Stepove, Kamianske, Shcherbaky, and Mali Shcherbaky. For the first time in a long period, the enemy conducted an attack along a wide front with battalion-sized forces from the line of Pyatykhatky – Stepove – Lobkove – Mali Shcherbaky – Mala Tokmachka, which indicates a change in enemy tactics.

General conclusion:

  • The enemy continues to hold two bridgeheads in Kharkiv Oblast — 86 km² (with forces of the 345th, 380th Motorized Rifle Regiments of the 18th Motorized Rifle Division of the 11th Army Corps) and 102 km² (with forces of the 138th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, the 2nd Separate SOF Brigade, the volunteer reconnaissance-assault brigade “Alexander Nevsky” and the 1009th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Territorial Troops).
  • On the Kupyansk direction, the enemy continues to hold 4 bridgeheads on the western bank of the Oskil River but cannot expand or connect them due to the lack of crossings to transfer heavy combat equipment.
  • Ukrainian Defense Forces maintain their bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Oskil River between Kindrashivka and Senkove.
  • The enemy’s Operational Groupings “Zapad (West)” and “Yug (South)”, advancing on adjacent flanks, continue a shaping operation aimed at creating favorable conditions for an offensive on the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk agglomeration this summer. The enemy is trying to reach the Oskil River in the Borova area in the north and Kostyantynivka in the south, making efforts to eliminate the defense area of the “Khortytsia” Operational Strategic Grouping (OSG) near Siversk.
  • The enemy’s Operational Groupings “Zapad (West)” and “Yug (South)”, also advancing on adjacent flanks, are trying to reach the line of the Bakhmut – Pokrovsk highway and form a southern flank for an offensive on the “fortress belt” from the south, while simultaneously completing the full occupation of Donetsk Oblast.
  • On the Novopavlivka and Huliaypole directions, the enemy is attempting to advance along the Donetsk – Zaporizhzhia highway, to push Ukrainian Defense Forces beyond the Kotlyarivka – Dniproenerhiya line and fully occupy the southern part of Donetsk Oblast.
  • On the Zaporizhzhia direction, the enemy is trying to envelop the Orikhiv defense area of the “Tavria” OSG and reach a distance from which effective artillery fire can be conducted on the city of Zaporizhzhia, with the goal of subjecting it to regular shelling and provoking a humanitarian catastrophe and mass exodus of the population from the city.

Change in the line of contact (LoC):

  • There were 143 combat engagements on various fronts.
  • On the Kharkiv direction, the enemy made one unsuccessful attempt to advance in the Vovchansk area.
  • On the Kupyansk direction, there were 4 Russian attacks. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled enemy assault actions near Petropavlivka, Synkivka, and Zahryzove.
  • On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 20 times, attempting to advance near the settlements of Novovodyane, Nadiia, Nove, Novomykhailivka, Yampolivka, and toward Hrekivka and Hryhorivka.
  • On the Siversk direction, 2 enemy attacks were repelled near Bilohorivka and toward Verkhnyokamianske.
  • On the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy conducted 8 attacks in the areas of Chasiv Yar, Kurdyumivka, and toward Stupochky.
  • On the Toretsk direction, over the past day, the enemy attacked 11 times near Toretsk, Ozaryanivka, and Druzhba.
  • On the Pokrovsk direction, 64 Russian assault actions were stopped in the areas of Sukha Balka, Stara Mykolaivka, Zelene Pole, Vodyane Druhe, Yelyzavetivka, Novotoretske, Promin, Lysivka, Kotlyne, Uspenivka, Preobrazhenka, and Andriivka.
  • On the Novopavlivka direction, 9 Russian attacks were repelled in the areas of Konstyantynopil, Rozlyv, and Pryvilne.
  • On the Orikhiv direction, an attack was repelled in the area of Mala Tokmachka.
  • On the Kursk direction, 21 combat clashes occurred, and the enemy also conducted 18 airstrikes.
  • In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
    • Mediterranean Sea: 3 ships, including 3 cruise missile carriers; the total salvo is 26 cruise missiles.

Supporting operation:

  • There were no strikes.

Changes in the enemy disposition:

  • The 67th Motorized Rifle Division, the 169th and 164th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades of the 25th Combined Arms Army operate south of Yampolivka. A tank battalion of the 164th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade is concentrated near Kreminna.
  • The 242nd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division, the 68th Tank Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army operate near the H20 Donetsk – Kostyantynivka highway to the west of Oleksandropil and with partial forces near Kalynove. The 102nd and 103rd Motorized Rifle Regiments of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division operate near Shcherbynivka. The 4th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Combined Arms Army operates near Druzhba.
  • The 506th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 27th Motorized Rifle Division of the 2nd Combined Arms Army operates near Uspenivka.
  • The 4th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 3rd Combined Arms Army and the 174th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army operate near Dachne.

Possible operation situation developments:

  • The plan for the enemy’s spring-summer offensive campaign in the Southwestern Theater of Operations may be as follows: a simultaneous breakthrough towards Kostyantynivka and Druzhkivka from the south and southeast (from the direction of Toretsk and Vozdvyzhenka), as well as from the northeast (from the direction of Chasiv Yar), followed by an advance towards Kramatorsk from the south while simultaneously advancing towards Slovyansk with the forces of the 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies of the “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping through Lyman. Russian forces may attempt to advance near Kupyansk, Lyman, Novopavlivka, or toward the city of Zaporizhzhia. The Pokrovsk direction is viewed by Ukraine’s military-political leadership as the absolute priority for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Additionally, Russian forces intend to create a buffer zone in the north of Sumy Oblast and pose a threat to the city of Sumy in the coming months.
  • In Sumy Oblast, key enemy objectives that could provide stability to a buffer zone may include the heights between Yunakivka and Khrapivshchyna, the wooded area to the northeast of Sumy from Radkivka to Mohrytsya, and the Psel River. Based on this, the enemy’s operational tasks in this direction may include taking control of the area of Bilovody – Loknia – Yunakivka – Yablunivka, seizing at least the eastern part of the wooded area west of Mohrytsya, and reaching the line of Velyka Rybytsya – Myropillya along the Psel River. The enemy may also attempt to break through from the border toward Vorozhba and Bilopillya and cut off the operational lateral route between Sumy and Novhorod-Siverskyi. The implementation of such a plan would require the enemy command to covertly deploy a strike force in the area of Tiotkino.
  • A replacement of the airborne forces and naval infantry units with troops of the 14th and 44th Army Corps is expected soon. The highly mobile component of the Russian Armed Forces will be redeployed to Donbas or to Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
  • On the Kupyansk direction, the command of the enemy’s “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping will abandon active operations on its flanks and resume the offensive along the Svatove–Kupyansk road in the offensive zone of the 47th Tank Division of the 1st Tank Army. To this end, it is concentrating forces in the area of Kyslivka – Zatyshne – Nova Tarasivka – Tabaiivka and has already redeployed one motorized rifle regiment each from the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division and the 4th Tank Division of the 1st Tank Army to the Lyman direction. The enemy will demonstrate readiness to launch a frontal push against the “Khortytsia” OSG, thereby attempting to mislead the command of “Khortytsia” OSG regarding the true intent of its actions, aiming to complicate the maneuvering of OSG reserves simultaneously across two operational zones — in front of both the 6th Combined Arms Army and the 1st Tank Army of the enemy.
  • On the Lyman direction, the command of the enemy’s “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping will exert efforts to collapse the defense of “Khortytsia” OSG in front of the 3rd Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Combined Arms Army. To achieve this, the 144th Motorized Rifle Division of the 20th Combined Arms Army will attempt at any cost to break through in a northwesterly direction from its bridgehead on the Chornyi Zherebets River to link up with the 4th Tank Division of the 1st Tank Army. The enemy will attempt to advance toward Karlivka from Nove and toward Drobysheve from Kolodyazi, seeking to reach and entrench along the Karlivka – Shandryholove – Drobysheve line, while simultaneously intensifying its offensive near Torske and advancing on Lyman from the east. The forward elements of the 25th Combined Arms Army will, in the near future, attempt to simultaneously force the Chornyi Zherebets River as close as possible to Zarichne and break through to its eastern part on the opposite bank of the river. The enemy command’s operational intent includes using the Oskil River as a flank cover for a further advance on Lyman and Sloviansk, as evidenced by intensive attacks from the bridgehead on the Chornyi Zherebets River in a northwesterly direction toward Borova and the shift of the main strike axis of the 20th Combined Arms Army from Lyman to Borova.
  • The command of the enemy’s 3rd Combined Arms Army on the Siversk direction will create favorable conditions for the further seizure of the Sloviansk–Kramatorsk agglomeration during the summer campaign. For this, its forces will attempt to break through to the northern bank of the Siverskyi Donets River between Yampil and Hryhorivka, and from the southeast direction—toward Siversk.
  • The operational plan of the 8th Combined Arms Army on the Kostyantynivka direction is to envelop the tactical group of the “Khortytsia” OSG, which is defending south of Kostyantynivka between Oleksandropil and Tarasivka from the flanks. The enemy aims to encircle and destroy this group or, if unable to do so, force it to withdraw from the area south of Kostyantynivka in a northwestern direction under the threat of encirclement. The ultimate goal of these actions is a two-pronged breakthrough from the southwest and southeast toward the area of Stepanivka – Berestok – Pleshchiivka – Yablunivka, followed by a simultaneous assault on Kostyantynivka from this area and from the direction of Chasiv Yar. After the reaching the Poltavka–Pleshchiivka line, the enemy’s 3rd Combined Arms Army, reinforced by an airborne forces group, will attempt a rapid breakthrough from the bridgehead on the Siverskyi Donets–Donbas canal in the Chasiv Yar area, advancing from the northeast toward Kostyantynivka.

Russian operational losses from 23.02.22 to 18.04.25

Personnel – almost 938,970 (+1,530);

Tanks – 10,662 (+8);

Armored combat vehicles – 22,257 (+40);

Artillery systems – 26,530 (+88);

Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,367 (+1);

Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,136 (+1);

Vehicles and fuel tanks – 44,954 (+312);

Aircraft – 370 (0);

Helicopters – 335 (0);

UAV operational and tactical level – 33,065 (+140);

Intercepted cruise missiles – 3,145 (0)

Boats/ships – 29 (0).

Humanitarian + general:

  • President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed laws extending the duration of martial law in Ukraine, as well as the general mobilization period for 90 days, until August 6.
  • During the night of April 18, 2025, Russian occupiers launched an attack on Ukraine using 43 aerial threats — 6 missiles of various types and 37 strike UAVs (some mimicking other types). As of 9:30 a.m., 26 aerial targets were confirmed shot down: 3 Iskander-K cruise missiles and 23 Shahed-type strike UAVs. Ten enemy decoy UAVs were lost from radar. As a result of the enemy attack, the following oblasts were affected: Sumy Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Mykolaiv Oblast, and Kyiv Oblast.
  • On the morning of April 18, Russians attacked a bakery in Sumy with three drones. A businessman who had arrived to pick up Easter pastries for delivery was killed. Another person was injured. The bakery sustained significant damage.
  • As a result of a morning Russian missile attack in Dnipro, a hotel, an office, and a fitness center were damaged. In the Dnipro district, private houses were hit and fires broke out. No casualties were reported.
  • In Stepnohirsk, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russians struck with glide bombs (KABs), barrel artillery, and multiple launch rocket systems, damaging a high-voltage power line and leaving the community without electricity.
  • Around 5:10 a.m., Russian invaders struck Kharkiv with three fragmentation-high explosive Iskander missiles — at least one missile exploded in the air to inflict maximum damage on the city. As of 7:00 p.m., one fatality was confirmed — a 79-year-old man who was in his apartment during the shelling. A total of 113 people were reported injured, including 9 children.
  • On April 18, 2025, at approximately 6:00 a.m., Russian forces attacked Beryslav with artillery. A 70-year-old local resident sustained fatal injuries. The man was at home during the shelling.
  • In the first half of the day, two people were killed and three more were injured as a result of Russian strikes on settlements in Donetsk Oblast.
  • During a recent repatriation, Ukraine returned the bodies of 909 of its defenders who died on the front lines near Bakhmut, Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, and other areas, as well as from morgues on Russian territory.
  • More than 30 countries supported the international Easter campaign Bring Kids Back UA, the goal of which is to remind the world that the war will not end without the return of abducted children.
  • On April 18, Dmitry Peskov, press secretary to the Russian ruler Vladimir Putin, stated that the one-month moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure had expired. According to the Russian agency RIA Novosti, no further directives have been issued by Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin.

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Запис Russia’s war on Ukraine. 18.04.25 спершу з'явиться на Центр оборонних стратегій.