Military and Political Situation in Ukraine. Morning of March 18th, 2022 - Ihor Zhdanov

Ihor Zhdanov, Information Defence

Informational Defence of Ukraine provides a daily review of the military-political situation in Ukraine, morning of March 18th, based on an analysis of open sources.

1. The russian occupiers have not achieved success in any of the operational areas and have sustained heavy losses as a result of counterattacks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as of March 18th, the enemy has not achieved any of the strategic goals of the offensive operation. The operational pause, which was significantly prolonged, indicates that the russian-Ukrainian war has got to a positional stage.

Also yesterday, it became clear that the russian aggressors, continuing to restrain the Kyiv group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, transferred their main efforts to the East of Ukraine in the area of the environmental protection operation and to Mariupol.

Fierce fighting is taking place in these areas, especially in the Rubizhne, Lysychansk, and Severodonetsk districts. The enemy, not counting its losses and losses among peaceful Ukrainian citizens, is trying to reach administrative borders and capture Mariupol.

Information Defence experts believe that such inadequate actions are related to the russian-Ukrainian talks, in which the enemy is trying to secure good treaty positions, i.e. to seize the entire territory of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions to put pressure on Ukraine to recognise the so-called "DPR" (“ДНР”) and "LPR" (“ЛНР”).

The continuous attacks of Mariupol are connected with the intentions of the russian aggressor to create a land corridor to the occupied Crimea, to carry out a maritime economic blockade of our country and to provide water supply