Ukraine/Russland/NATO – der Sammler am 18. Oktober 2022

Im andauernden russischen Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine ist zunehmend die zivile (Energie)Infrastruktur der Ukraine im Visier russischer Angriffe – in der Bewertung stimmen Ukraine, Russland und westliche Nachrichtendienste überein. Iran wird ein immer wichtigerer Waffenlieferant Russlands. Der Sammler am 18. Oktober 2022:

• Nach Angaben des ukrainischen Präsidenten Wolodymyr Selenskyj wurden durch russische Luftangriffe in den zurückliegenden sieben Tagen 30 Prozent der Kraftwerke der Ukraine zerstört:

Einen wesentlichen Anteil an den Angriffen hatten in den vergangenen Tagen iranische Drohnen (s. auch unten die Angaben des ukrainischen Generalstabs), auch wenn Iran bislang solche Lieferungen an Russland offiziell bestreitet. Inzwischen gibt es aber aus Iran selbst Bestätigungen für geplante weitere Lieferungen auch von Raketen, wie Reuters berichtet:

Iran has promised to provide Russia with surface to surface missiles, in addition to more drones, two senior Iranian officials and two Iranian diplomats told Reuters, a move that is likely to infuriate the United States and other Western powers.
A deal was agreed on Oct. 6 when Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, two senior officials from Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards and an official from the Supreme National Security Council visited Moscow for talks with Russia about the delivery of the weapons.
„The Russians had asked for more drones and those Iranian ballistic missiles with improved accuracy, particularly the Fateh and Zolfaghar missiles family,“ said one of the Iranian diplomats, who was briefed about the trip.

• Das britische Intel Update:

Since 10 October, Russia has maintained a heightened tempo of long-range strikes against targets across Ukraine.
These have been conducted by cruise missiles, air defence missiles in a surface-to-surface role, and Iranian-provided Shahed-136 one way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles.
It is highly likely that a key objective of this strike campaign is to cause wide-spread damage to Ukraine’s energy distribution network.
As Russia has suffered battlefield setbacks since August, it has highly likely gained a greater willingness to strike civilian infrastructure in addition to Ukrainian military targets.

• Das Morgenbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

Operational update of General Staff of the UAF regarding the russian invasion as of 6:00, on October 18, 2022
The two hundred thirty-seventh (237) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military large-scale invasion continues.
The enemy is trying to keep the temporarily captured territories, concentrates efforts on restraining the actions of the Defence Forces in certain directions, at the same time, it does not abandon attempts to conduct offensive actions in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions.
Over the past day, units of the Defence Forces repelled the attacks of the occupiers in the areas of Berestove settlements of the Kharkiv oblast; Bakhmutske, Ivanhrad, Klishchiivka, Pervomayske and Maryinka of the Donetsk oblast.
The enemy is shelling the positions of our troops along the entire contact line, carrying out engineering equipment of defensive positions and lines in separate directions and conducting aerial reconnaissance. Violating the norms of International Humanitarian Law, the laws and customs of war, it strikes critical infrastructure and the homes of the civilian population.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy launched 10 missile and 58 air strikes, and launched up to 60 MLRS attacks.
Areas of more than 35 settlements were hit by enemy attacks. In particular, Kyiv and Odesa, Mykolaiv oblasts; Bilohorivka, Terny, Krasnohorivka and Maryinka of the Donetsk oblast; Nova Kamianka and Bilohirka, Kherson oblast. For this, the enemy used cruise, aviation and anti-aircraft guided missiles. In addition, 43 Iranian-made Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles were involved, 38 of which were shot down by Ukrainian soldiers.
The situation in the Volyn and Polissya directions has not changed significantly. The threat of missile and airstrikes, as well as the use of „Shahed-136“ attack UAVs from the territory of the republic of belarus, remains.
The enemy fired in other directions:
in the Siversky direction – from artillery of various types, in the areas of the settlements of Senkivka of Chernihiv region and Seredyna-Buda and Dmytrivka of Sumy oblast;
in the Slobozhanskyi direction – from tanks, mortars, barrel and rocket artillery, in the areas of the settlements of Khatnye, Starytsa and Strilecha;
in the Kupyansk direction – from mortars, barrel and jet artillery in the areas of Berestove, Hryanikyvka, Dvorichna, Kotlyarivka, Serebryanka and Stelmakhivka settlements;
in the Lyman direction – from artillery of various calibres, in the areas of the settlements of Bilohorivka, Hrekivka, Zarichne, Nadiya, Novoyehorivka and Terny. Here the enemy also used shock UAVs;
in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions, the enemy inflicted fire damage from tanks, mortars, barrel and rocket artillery along the contact line.
On the Novopavlivskyi and Zaporizhzhia directions, the enemy shelled more than 15 settlements. Among them are Bilohirya, Bohyavlenka, Vuhledar, Malynivka, Orihiv and Shevchenko.
In the South Buh direction, the occupiers fired at military and civilian infrastructure. Areas of more than 20 settlements along the contact line were damaged by fire. The enemy made more than 30 UAV sorties to conduct aerial reconnaissance.
Violating all norms of international humanitarian law, laws and customs of warfare, the russian occupiers are building fortifications at the expense of looting the local population. Thus, in the settlement of Blahodatne, Kherson oblast, building materials and metal constructions of estates for the equipment of engineering fortifications are taken from private households of civilians.
Aviation of the Defence Forces carried out 22 strikes during the past day. It was confirmed that 18 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment, a support point, as well as 3 positions of the enemy’s anti-aircraft missile systems were hit. Air defence units shot down 3 cruise missiles.
Missile troops and artillery hit the control post, the area of concentration of manpower, weapons and military equipment, two air defence and artillery facilities, one ammunition depot and other military targets of the enemy.

• Das Briefing des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums:

Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine (18 October 2022)
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.
Russian forces continued launching attacks by high-precision long-range air- and sea-based armament at the military control and energy systems of Ukraine, as well as at the depots of foreign-manufactured ordnance and armament.
All the assigned targets have been neutralised.
Units of Russian army seized Gorobyovka (Kharkov region) and caused considerable casualties among the units from 1st Operational Brigade of Ukrainian National Guard at Kupyansk direction.
Moreover, Russian forces have frustrated the attempt of a company tactical group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) reinforced by tanks to launch an attack near Kislovka (Kharkov region).
Fire attack launched at the departing assault groups from 71st Chaser, 80th Airborne Assault and 25th Airborne brigades of the AFU near Stelmakhovka and Rozovka (Lugansk People’s Republic), Karpovka and Ivanovka (Donetsk People’s Republic) has resulted in the frustration of enemy’s attempts to cross Zherebets river.
46 Ukrainian personnel, 2 armoured personnel carriers, 6 armoured combat vehicles and 2 pickups with large-calibre machine guns have been eliminated.
AFU units made attempts to break the defence of Russian troops towards Bruskinskoye (Kherson region) at Nikolayev-Krivoy Rog direction.
Enemy’s attack has been repelled. Russian artillery fire attack has resulted in scattering and driving the AFU units back to their initial positions.
Over 90 Ukrainian personnel, 1 tank, 8 armoured combat vehicles and 21 motor vehicles have been eliminated at the abovementioned direction.
Operational-tactical and army aviation, missile troops and artillery have neutralised a command post of Dnepr joint group of forces of the AFU and a workshop for radar reparation at an entity of Iskra research and production association, as well as 56 artillery units at their firing positions, 132 manpower and military equipment concentration areas.
Within the counterbattery warfare, 2 AFU artillery batteries have been neutralised near Trifonovka and Novonikolayevka (Kherson region), as well as 1 U.S.-manufactured HIMARS MLRS platoon near Drobyshevo (Donetsk People’s Republic).
Moreover, 3 munitions depots have been destroyed near Novoivanovka (Nikolayev region), Odnorobovka (Kharkov region) and Krasny Liman (Donetsk People’s Republic).
3 AN/TPQ-37 and AN/TPQ-50 counterbattery radars have been destroyed near Artyomovsk, Viyemka and Soledar (Donetsk People’s Republic).
1 outer space signal station of the Government Communications Centre of Ukraine has been destroyed near Paliyevka (Odessa region).
1 launching ramp of S-300 Ukrainian air defence system has been destroyed near Petropavlovka (Donetsk People’s Republic).
Air defence facilities have shot down 10 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles near Kirovo, Sukhanovo, Kucherskoye, Dmitrenko (Kherson region), Yevgenovka (Nikolayev region), Zelyony Gai, Vladimirovka (Donetsk People’s Republic), Krasnosyolovka, Ternovoye and Energodar (Zaporozhye region).
In total, 323 airplanes and 161 helicopters, 2,266 unmanned aerial vehicles, 381 air defence missile systems, 5,876 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 871 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 3,485 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 6,635 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed during the special military operation.

• Das Abendbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 18.00, on October 18, 2022.
The two hundred-thirty-seventh (237) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military large-scale invasion continues.
During the day, units of the Defense Forces repelled the attacks of the occupiers in the areas of settlements: Ohirtseve, Kharkiv oblast; Bilohorivka, Luhansk oblast; Novokalynove and Maryinka, Donetsk oblast.
During the current day, the enemy launched 9 missile and 10 air strikes, carried out more than 10 MLRS attacks.
Areas of more than 10 settlements were hit by the enemy. Among them are Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kurakhove in the Donetsk oblast and Trykhaty in the Mykolaiv oblast. For this, the enemy used cruise, aviation and anti-aircraft guided missiles. In addition, in one of the directions, the occupiers used 4 unmanned aerial vehicles of Iranian production „Shahed-136“, 3 of which shot down units of the Defense Forces.
The situation in the Volyn and Polissya directions has not changed significantly. The republic of belarus continues to support the armed aggression of the russian federation against Ukraine, providing its infrastructure and airspace. There is still a threat of missile and air strikes, as well as the use of „Shahed-136“ attack UAVs from the territory of the republic of belarus. Covert mobilization of the belarusian armed forces continues under the guise of training sessions. According to available information, measures are being taken to train operators of anti-aircraft missile systems and tank crews.
The enemy fired in other directions:
in the Siverskyi direction – from barrel artillery, within the Yunakivka settlement of Sumy oblast;
in the Slobozhanskyi direction – from mortars, barrel and jet artillery, in the areas of the settlements of Vovchanski Khutory, Hryhorivka, Komisarove, Ohirtseve, Starytsa, and Strilecha;
in the Kupyansk direction – from artillery of various types, in the areas of the settlements of Berestove, Hryanykivka, Dvorichna, Kamianka, Krasne, Kislivka, Kotlyarivka and Stelmakhivka;
in the Lymanskyi direction – from mortars, barrel and rocket artillery, in the areas of the settlements of Bilohorivka, Hrekivka, Zarichne, Kovalivka, Nadiya, Novoyehorivka, Olhivka and Torske.
On the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions, the enemy fired tanks and artillery along the contact line. The settlements of Bakhmut, Soledar, Pervomaiske and Velyka Novosilka were directly affected.
On the Novopavlivsky and Zaporizhzhia directions, the enemy fired mortars, barrel and rocket artillery at the settlements of Pavlivka and Prechistivka.
In the South Buh direction, the enemy is trying to improve logistical support, is shelling military and civilian infrastructure. Settlements along the contact line, including Vyshchetarasivka of the Dnipropetrovsk oblast, were damaged by fire.
russian military-political leadership does not stop taking measures to replenish the personnel of units that have suffered losses on the territory of Ukraine. Despite the preliminary reservation of the list of employees of the russian federation’s critical infrastructure, the heads of such enterprises still receive plans that they are forced to carry out. Therefore, they send their employees to the military commissariats.
The replenishment of losses of russian units at the expense of prisoners continues. As of the beginning of October, more than half of the total eight thousand fighters of the private military company „Wagner“ are mercenaries of the mentioned category.
Aviation of the Defense Forces of Ukraine carried out 20 strikes during the day. It was confirmed that 13 areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment, a support point, as well as 7 positions of the enemy’s anti-aircraft missile systems were hit.
In addition, air defense units shot down 5 cruise missiles.
Soldiers of missile troops and artillery hit two control points, two areas of concentration of manpower, weapons and military equipment, two air defense and artillery facilities, two ammunition warehouses and other military targets of the enemy.

• In seiner regelmäßigen Videoansprache ging der der ukrainische Präsident am Dienstagabend auf die Arbeit der Luftverteidigung in diesen Tagen ein und lobte das deutsche System Iris-T SLM:

There were new Russian attacks against our energy system. Some of the drones and missiles were shot down. Thanks again for this to our anti-aircraft fighters, our Air Forces. In particular, the 138th Dnipro anti-aircraft missile brigade for shooting down four „Kalibrs“. Our other defenders of the sky also have good results. Today, I will also celebrate the Kherson anti-aircraft missile brigade for shooting down a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft.
Thanks also to our partners – everyone who helps us with anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense. For example, the German „IRIS-T“ has shown itself very well – it is a really effective system.