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

Zum andauernden russischen Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine der Sammler am 18. Dezember 2022:

• Das britische Intel Update:

On 14 December 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced the establishment of two ‘front line creative brigades’ tasked with raising the morale of troops deployed on the ‘special military operation’.
Russian media reports that the ranks will include opera singers, actors and circus performers. This follows a recent campaign by the Russian MoD to encourage the public to donate musical instruments to deployed soldiers.
Military music and organised entertainment for deployed troops have a long history in many militaries but in Russia they are strongly intertwined with the Soviet-era concept of ideological political education.
Fragile morale almost certainly continues to be a significant vulnerability across much of the Russian force. However, soldiers’ concerns primarily focus on very high casualty rates, poor leadership, pay problems, lack of equipment and ammunition, and lack of clarity about the war’s objectives. The creative brigades’ efforts are unlikely to substantively alleviate these concerns.

• Das Morgenbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 06.00, on December 18, 2022
The enemy is trying to improve the tactical position in the Lyman area and is concentrating its efforts on conducting offensive actions in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka areas.
Over the past day, the units of the Defense Forces repelled the attacks of the russian invaders in the areas of more than fifteen settlements. Among them are Stelmakhivka and Serebryanske forestry in Luhansk oblast and Verkhnyokamianske, Vyimka, Vesele, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Opytne, Pervomaiske, Nevelske and Krasnohorivka in Donetsk oblast.
Over the past 24 hours, the enemy fired 5 rockets, as well as 42 attacks from multiple rocket systems.
The threat of air and missile strikes persists throughout Ukraine.
In the Volyn and Polisya directions, the situation has not changed, no signs of the formation of enemy offensive groups have been detected.
On the Siverskyi and Slobozhanskyi directions, the areas of the settlements of Seredyna-Buda and Vovkivka of the Sumy oblast and Strilecha, Hlyboke, Starytsa, Vovchansk, Volokhivka, Chuhunivka, Novomlynsk and Dvorichna of the Kharkiv oblast were shelled.
In the Kupyansk direction, the districts of Berestove, Yahidne, Kotlyarivka, and Krokhmalne of the Kharkiv oblast, and Novoselivske and Stelmakhivka in the Luhansk oblast, were damaged by fire.
In the Lyman direction, the enemy shelled Makiivka, Ploshchanka and Chervonopopivka of the Luhansk oblast.
On the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions, more than fifteen settlements came under enemy fire. In particular, these are Verkhnokamianske, Spirne, Bilohorivka, Soledar, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Opytne, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka of the Donetsk oblast.
The enemy did not conduct active operations in the Novopavlivsk direction. To clarify the position of our troops, the UAV was deployed in the area of Shevchenkove settlement.
On the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson directions, the enemy shelled twenty-four settlements with tanks, mortars, barrel and rocket artillery. Among them are Bilohirya, Novodanilivka, Orihiv, Stepove, Plavni in Zaporizhzhia oblast and Kozatsk, Tyahynka, Mykilsk, Kherson and Dniprovsk in the Kherson oblast.
On December 16th, 2022, several areas where the enemy’s manpower and military equipment were concentrated, as well as two of its ammunition depots in the Zaporizhzhia oblast, were confirmed to have been hit by fire by units of the Defense Forces. Losses of personnel amounted to more than 150 wounded servicemen, 10 units of military equipment of various types were destroyed. Information about eliminated invaders is being clarified.
The command of the occupying forces plans to introduce a 24-hour curfew in populated areas on the temporarily occupied territory of the Zaporizhzhia oblast. Thus, in the settlement of Chernihivka, the specified restrictions will be introduced from December 25, and in the city of Berdyansk – from December 30, 2022 to January 3, 2023.
Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian missile and artillery units have hit 8 personnel concentration areas, 2 control points, and 4 ammunition depots of the Russian occupiers.

• Das Briefing des russischen Verteidigungsministeriums:

Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine (18 December 2022)
The Russian Federation Armed Forces continue the special military operation.
In Kupyansk direction, up to 25 Ukrainian military, an armoured personnel carrier, and two automobiles were destroyed as a result of fire damage near Kislovka (Kharkov region).
In Krasny Liman direction, Russian artillery attack engaged enemy reserves close to Stelmakhovka (Lugansk People’s Republic). Moreover, pre-emptive fire against the AFU assault groups hampered the enemy’s reconnaissance operations in the direction of Golikovo and Kremennaya (Lugansk People’s Republic). The Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered up to 60 Ukrainian soldiers killed and wounded, as well as one tank, and two pickup trucks destroyed.
In Donetsk direction, as a result of the offensive actions of Russian troops, the settlement of Yakovlevka (Donetsk People’s Republic) has been taken under control. It is currently being cleared of the remnants of Ukrainian troops. The enemy conducted unsuccessful counterattacks to regain its lost positions close to Podgorodnoye, Kleshchiyevka, and Kurdyumovka (Donetsk People’s Republic) The counterattacks were repelled by artillery strikes and Russian assault groups. The enemy suffered casualties and was pushed back to the initial positions. More than 40 Ukrainian personnel, two armoured fighting vehicles, and three automobiles were eliminated.
In South Donetsk direction, Russian troops delivered attacks against concentrations of the AFU manpower and hardware near Shevchenko and Dorozhnyanka (Zaporozhye region). An enemy repair and evacuation group was annihilated near Vremevka (Donetsk People’s Republic) by artillery fire and intensive actions of Russian troops. Three sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been destroyed close to Novomikhailovka and Vladimirovka (Donetsk People’s Republic), and Novoselovka (Zaporozhye region). The Armed Forces of Ukraine suffered up to 50 Ukrainian soldiers killed and wounded, as well as one armoured fighting vehicle, an armored recovery vehicle, and two pickup trucks destroyed.
Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery hit the command post of the 113th Territorial Defence Brigade near Krasny Liman (Donetsk People’s Republic), as well as 109 artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military hardware in 144 concentration areas. A US-made AN/TPQ-36 counterbattery radar station was destroyed near Konstantinovka (Donetsk People’s Republic).
A Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down near Yelenovka (Donetsk People’s Republic), and nine rockets of the HIMARS MLRS were intercepted near Chaplynka (Kherson region), Artemovsk, and Enakievo (Donetsk People’s Republic), and Popasnaya and Beloye (Lugansk People’s Republic).
In total, 344 airplanes and 184 helicopters, 2,676 unmanned aerial vehicles, 398 air defence missile systems, 7,149 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 931 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 3,691 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 7,650 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

• Das Abendbriefing des ukrainischen Generalstabs:

The operational update regarding the russian invasion on 18.00, on December 18, 2022
The two-hundred-ninety-eighth (298) day of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people to a russian military large-scale invasion continues.
The enemy is trying to restore the lost ubiety in the Lyman direction; on Zaporizhzhia direction – restores railway infrastructure to improve logistics support. Concentrates efforts on conducting offensive actions in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions. In other directions, the enemy is conducting defense, concentrating its efforts on restraining the actions of units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
During the day, the russian occupiers launched 4 missile strikes, and also fired about 20 MLRS strikes. Civilian infrastructure and civilians were affected.
The threat of enemy air and missile strikes remains on the entire territory of Ukraine.
In the Volyn and Polissya directions, the situation has not changed significantly, and no signs of the formation of enemy offensive groups have been detected.
In the Siverskyi direction, the settlement of Bilokopytove of the Sumy oblast was hit by mortar fire.
In the Slobozhanskyi direction, the enemy is holding a group of troops in the border areas of the Belgorod region, has carried out tank, mortar and artillery attacks on the areas of Chervona Zorya, Strilecha, Hlyboke, Vovchansk, Fiholivka, Dvorichna and Novomlynsk settlements of the Kharkiv oblast.
In the Kupian direction, the areas of Yagidne, Kislivka, Kotlyarivka, Krokhmalne and Berestove in Kharkiv oblast, and Novoselivka and Stelmakhivka in Luhansk oblast were shelled.
On the Lyman direction, Makiyivka, Ploschanka, Chervonopopivka and Dibrova in the Luhansk oblast were hit by fire.
In the direction of Bakhmut, the enemy fired from tanks and the entire range of artillery in the areas of Verkhnokamyanske, Berestove, Yakovlivka, Soledar, Hryhorivka, Bakhmutske, Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Klishchiivka, Andriivka, Kurdyumivka, Diliivka, Ozaryanivka, Pivnichne and Opytne settlements of the Donetsk oblast.
In the Avdiivka direction, the enemy inflicted a fire attack near Avdiivka, Krasnohorivka, Maryinka and Novomykhailivka, Donetsk oblast.
On the Zaporizhia and Kherson directions, the Temyrivka, Chervone, Mali Shcherbaky, and Plavni settlements of the Zaporizhzhia oblast and the city of Kherson were affected by enemy fire. There are casualties among civilians.
The enemy continues to use educational institutions in the temporarily occupied territory to cover it units. Thus, in some settlements of the Vasyliv district of the Zaporizhzhia region, the occupiers placed personnel in school buildings. At the same time, the educational process continues – children attend educational institutions.
Mobilization measures are ongoing in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk oblast. Since December 5 of the current year, military commissariats have sent registration cards to all enterprises in the region.
A similar situation is observed in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk oblast. In the city of Horlivka, employees of communal enterprises are subject to mobilization.
During the day, the Ukrainian aviation made 6 strikes on the areas of concentration of personnel, weapons and military equipment and 3 strikes on the positions of the enemy’s anti-aircraft missile systems.
Units of missile troops and artillery of the Defense Forces of Ukraine hit 2 ammunition warehouses in a day.