Fighting on the front line
In the Svatovsky direction in the Lugansk region, the Russian military tried to storm the village of Stelmahovka, but the APU soldiers repulsed these attacks. In addition, Russian attempts to attack Belogorovka, Verkhnekamenskoye and Soledar were recorded. On the eve of the propaganda project WarGonzo reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying to go to Kremennaya, but today, November 18, he denied this. At the same time, the Def Mon military analyst argues that the Russian attacks further south may be needed precisely in order to pull over the Ukrainian forces concentrated at Kremennaya.
Also, from his point of view, the Russian forces that left the right bank of the Dnieper can now go to the Zaporozhye direction – it is worth waiting for the intensification of hostilities there. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russians can transfer their forces to the Donbass: the Zaporozhye direction is not ruled out, as well as pulling up reserves for a second invasion from Belarus. “For the enemy, it is blatantly important to establish control over the Donetsk region,” they say in the General Staff.
The Ukrainian General Staff also reports that the Russians continue to shell positions on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine have recently established themselves. Artillery hit Antonovka, Odradokamenka and Chernobaevka.
According to military experts at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces in the Kherson region are “partially vulnerable” and could be isolated. The military has a limited number of roads and railways in the area through which the group can be supplied. The Ukrainian army is already shelling concentrations of troops and equipment on the roads.
The most intense fighting is taking place on the eastern front, in the area of Bakhmut and Avdiivka. Sergey Cherevaty, a spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, claims that the Russian military is suffering "incredible losses." In a day they can lose from a platoon to a company. British intelligence suggests that Russia may pull part of the forces from Kherson to strengthen the offensive at Bakhmut.
In the Donetsk direction, the Russian military carried out strikes in the area of Krasnogorovka, Maryinka, Vodiane and Pervomaisky, writes the pro-Russian Rybar channel. The village of Pervomaiskoye was completely destroyed during the war.
On the banks of the Dnieper, the Russian military is still building fortifications and removing equipment to protect it from HIMARS strikes. Fortifications are also being built in the Crimea – this was confirmed by the head of the annexed peninsula, Sergei Aksyonov. British intelligence claims that some of the fortifications are already 60 kilometers from the front line and in the north of Crimea – the Russians are preparing for the next breakthroughs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Attack of the oil terminal in Novorossiysk
Russian channels reported on the attack of the Sheskharis oil harbor by a marine drone in Novorossiysk. The export oil terminal sends oil from the fields of Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. According to Mash, the damage was minimal and did not affect operation. At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine allegedly used the same apparatus as during the attack on the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol in October. After that, the fleet began to withdraw to the base in Novorossiysk.
Transneft denies the blow. The Ukrainian side has not yet commented on the information.
Russian troops may be planning to leave Alyoshki
On November 16, Reuters wrote that Russian troops could leave the city of Alyoshki in the Kherson region – it is located on the left bank of the Dnieper and was occupied in April. However, according to pro-Russian channels, the city is still under the control of the Russian Federation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are shelling it. Russian military commissar Roman Saponkov claims that there is a humanitarian catastrophe in Aleshki: there is no water, no gas, residents are being evacuated. The military will probably leave the city soon.
Consequences of Russian rocket attacks. In Odessa, due to lack of electricity, residents took to the streets
Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that almost 50% of the country's energy system has already been disabled as a result of massive rocket attacks by the Russian military: during the winter, people are deprived of light, water, heat and communications. According to him, on November 15, Russia fired about a hundred missiles. The strikes were inflicted on at least 17 regions, about 7 million households were left without electricity. It was one of the most massive attacks since the beginning of the war. On November 17, the number of missiles fired was estimated at more than 80.
In Odessa, people took to the streets and blocked the road, protesting against blackouts. After shelling on November 15, one of the largest blackouts occurred in the city.
Video of the execution of Russian prisoners of war by fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
One of the main military news on November 18 was the publication by pro-Russian Telegram channels of a video in which the Ukrainian military allegedly captures soldiers in Russian uniforms. Together with him, they distributed another recording, which was filmed from the same place: the footage shows the dead bodies of soldiers.
The Ministry of Defense called it a "massacre", and the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on the execution. The Ukrainian side denies this. An officer of the Ukrainian special operations forces, in a conversation with The Insider, notes that what happened is not an execution, but fits into the logic of the battle, as a military man in Russian uniform opened fire on the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Military expert Yigal Levin expresses the same opinion in his channel: “In this situation, the return fire of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is more than justified, since no one knows which of those who surrendered have hidden weapons and grenades. This is not an execution, the occupier who opened fire himself ruined his squad.”
A Russian military expert who spoke to The Insider believes that the actions of the Ukrainian military violate the Geneva Convention: “The fact that a Russian military started shooting does not give the slightest right to kill the rest.” As an example, he cited a similar situation in which the Ukrainian military demonstrated the correct algorithm of actions.
See also The Insider's military report for November 17: “Shelling of airfields in Dzhankoy and Chaplinka, capture of the Bassin stronghold. What is happening on the front line.