Black Sea

Russia has increased its unmanned reconnaissance activity in the south to 147 units per day in an attempt to compensate for the absence of A-50 aircraft, said Natalia Gumenyuk, head of the Joint Coordination Press Center of the Southern Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Newly elected ICC President Tomoko Akane firmly believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose arrest warrant was issued by the ICC last year, will eventually stand trial and be held accountable for war crimes in Ukraine.

The Russians have begun to more actively camouflage their ships in the Black Sea and planes at air bases, but British intelligence believes that these methods are unlikely to significantly reduce their losses in the war against Ukraine.

Ukraine seeks to establish itself as a future EU member in the areas of defense, energy, agriculture, raw materials, and digital technologies.

As of 07:00 on 18. 03.2024, there were no enemy ships in the Black and Azov Seas, but 3 enemy ships were present in the Mediterranean, including 2 Kalibr cruise missile carriers with a total volley of up to 12 missiles.

Over the past day, the enemy made 2 offensive attempts on the left bank of the Dnipro River and 4 in the areas of Robotyno and Verbove in Zaporizhzhia region, but suffered significant losses and retreated to their original positions.

13 Shaheed drones were shot down in Odesa region and 1 in Mykolaiv region during a 3-hour battle, which resulted in damage to agricultural enterprises but no casualties.

Combat operations are underway in Odesa region with air defense systems involving drones from the Black Sea, the Southern Defense Command reports.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, is dismissed after significant losses of Russian ships and replaced by Admiral Alexander Moiseev.

A Russian military intelligence agent was detained in Zaporizhzhia, spying on the location and movement of Ukrainian warships near the port of Odesa.

For two days in a row, Russia has not deployed its fleet ships in the Black and Azov Seas and has not withdrawn missile launchers from their bases due to stormy weather conditions.

The European Parliament has approved the extension of the suspension of import duties and quotas on exports of Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU for another year until June 5, 2025, and extended the suspension of all duties on imports from Moldova until July 24, 2025.

russian occupation forces attempted a missile attack on southern Ukraine, but the guided missile "lost its combat capability in the air".

Russian troops launched a night attack on southern Ukraine using Shahed-131/136 kamikaze drones and an X-59 missile from the Black Sea, but Ukrainian air defense successfully intercepted and destroyed the targets.

After two days of calm, russian troops launched four assault attacks in an attempt to force Ukrainian forces from a bridgehead on the left bank of the Kherson region, but suffered losses and retreated.

Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, the Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, explained the importance of combat missions carried out by military intelligence units, in particular in the Black Sea and in the temporarily occupied Crimea, in the documentary "War for the Sea: From Dnipro to Crimea".

During a nighttime drone attack in Odesa region, Russian occupants tried to lay routes through residential and industrial areas, hitting an infrastructure facility.

At night, Russian troops launched a massive drone attack on Odesa region, with Ukrainian air defense systems shooting down 10 of the 25 drones, but infrastructure and some buildings were hit, causing damage and fires.

Overnight, Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 10 Shahid drones in Odesa region, one of which hit an infrastructure facility and damaged administrative buildings.

Air defense systems have been activated in Odesa region due to an impending drone attack from the Black Sea, the Southern Defense Command reports.

The russians are moving their ship repair bases from Crimea to Taman, likely to strengthen their ability to repair warships in Novorossiysk due to effective Ukrainian strikes on military facilities in Crimea.

More than 1,000 ships have left Ukraine's Black Sea ports, transporting nearly 30 million tons of cargo, including grain, to world markets despite the ongoing war with Russia.

A Russian drone struck an industrial facility in Odesa district, damaging a building, and Ukrainian forces shot down 11 Iranian Shahed drones in a sustained attack that lasted more than 4. 5 hours.

A Russian missile strike hits a field outside a settlement in Odesa region, causing no casualties.

Ukraine's Armed Forces warned of a missile approaching Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district of Odesa region, announcing an air alert in southern Ukraine.

Ukraine and Turkey have signed an agreement to establish a system for the electronic exchange of preliminary information on goods and vehicles moving between the two countries.

President Zelenskyy met with President Erdogan in Istanbul to discuss ensuring safe navigation in the Black Sea for global food security, strengthening bilateral cooperation and joint defense production, and the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war and political prisoners held by Russia.

During his visit to Turkey, President Zelenskyy toured shipyards building corvettes for the Ukrainian Navy, emphasizing the defense partnership between Ukraine and Turkey aimed at strengthening Ukraine's security and bringing peace.

During President Zelenskyy's visit to Istanbul, Turkey is expected to emphasize its continued strong support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs a decree naming the Ada-class corvette manufactured for Ukraine by Turkey the Hetman Ivan Vygovsky.