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.
For two days in a row, Russia has not deployed its fleet ships in the Black and Azov Seas and has not withdrawn missile launchers from their bases due to stormy weather conditions.
a russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft was spotted flying over the temporarily occupied Crimea, in particular over Sevastopol.
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.
The Ukrainian Air Force detected and targeted Russian aircraft at a distance of over 150 kilometers. Today, the results of combat work are being checked.
Odesa region needs special air defense systems to shoot down ballistic missiles because of its significant impact on the Ukrainian economy.
There is a temporary lull in the Black Sea after the sinking of the Russian ship Sergei Kotov, but Russia will soon deploy another ship to fulfill its missions, according to a Ukrainian Navy spokesman.
The Russians have reduced their air activity in the Kherson area, flying over the Azov or Black Sea instead of using guided bombs as they did before.
Russia has begun to use reconnaissance drones more frequently to compensate for the loss of aircraft such as the A-50, which used to collect intelligence.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force said that after downing more than 10 Russian aircraft in February, the Russians have reduced the use of guided bombs, but air strikes continue.
Ukraine's Armed Forces continue to expand and hold positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson region, killing 69 Russian occupants and repelling an assault attack the day before.
After several enemy planes were shot down, the head of the Joint Coordination Press Center of the Southern Ukrainian Defense Forces reported that enemy aviation activity in the south had significantly decreased.
According to agents of the occupation authorities, an oil pipeline in Feodosia was destroyed at night.
Russian air defense destroyed 38 Ukrainian drones over Crimea overnight, one of the largest attacks on the peninsula reported so far.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force said that Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft had not been spotted over the Azov Sea for six days.
The Ukrainian Air Force warned that a guided missile, possibly an X-59, was fired toward Kirovohrad region.
A Russian coast guard boat caught fire in the Sea of Azov, killing five Russian occupiers, probably according to intercepted reports.
According to the Southern Ukrainian Defense Forces, 2 enemy ships are on combat duty in the Black Sea and 1 ship in the Sea of Azov, while Russian missile carriers remain at their bases.
Russia is preparing a new long-range radar detection aircraft to replace the downed A-50U, as drones cannot fully take its place in intelligence activities, the head of the Joint Coordination Press Center of the Southern Ukrainian Defense Forces has said.
British intelligence reports that the downing of another Russian A-50 demonstrates Moscow's inability to defend its own aircraft. Analysts assume that the Russians will want to deploy the A-50 a little further from the front line.
The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said that the operation to destroy the Russian A-50 long-range radar detection aircraft had been prepared for two weeks.
All 10 members of the russian crew were killed when their A-50U long-range radar detection aircraft was shot down.
On the one-year anniversary of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Ukraine survived because its army and people stood united against the aggressor.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has released intercepted radio communications of Russian Su-35 pilots, confirming that an A-50U aircraft was shot down over the Azov Sea the day before.
The Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine praised the Air Force and the Ground Forces for shooting down a Russian A-50U aircraft over the Sea of Azov, which was confirmed by the Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Around 20:00, two aircraft crashed near the village of Trudovaya Armenia, Kanev district, Russia.
The Russian military said that an A-50 military aircraft was shot down over the Sea of Azov.
The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine warned of an enemy missile detected in Poltava region.
An advisor to the mayor of Mariupol said that Russian occupants are preparing new bases closer to the front line based on observations of increased military activity and movement of equipment in the region.
