German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called on NATO and EU partners, as well as third countries, to “reconsider seriously whether they have additional air defense systems that can be immediately transferred to Ukraine ”.
According to German media, German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock has summoned the Russian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry after two people suspected of working for the Russian secret service were arrested in Bavaria.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the offensive of the Russian army and asked the West to “do everything to preserve the front”. The offensive has actually been going on for at least a couple of months. The day after the mobilization law was passed, Politico magazine reported: “About 650 thousand men of military age left Ukraine, most of them crossed the border illegally.” Still on the subject, we learn that up to 10 thousand prisoners could be mobilized into the ranks of the Ukrainian armed forces. ”Considering our mobilization needs, this is nothing,” says Roman Kostenko, secretary of the national security committee of the Verkhovna Rada.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal arrived in the United States on April 17 and met with US Trade Minister Gina Marie Raimondo. In particular, during the meeting, Shmygal and Raimondo discussed sanctions in the field of high technology, the objective: to hit Russia’s ability to produce new missiles and UAVs. They also discussed issues of economic cooperation, in particular issues related to Ukraine’s access to markets and trade.
DTEK CEO Maxim Timchenko in an interview with CNN: “Russia destroyed 80% of Ukrainian energy facilities. The situation in the energy sector is the most difficult since the beginning of the SVO. The company lost much of its capacity three weeks ago, after the first two attacks.”
According to Ukrainian sources, about 200 servicemen of the 22nd separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces surrendered after the command fled from their positions. The brigade was formed in 2023 in the Chernivtsi region. Also from Ukraine via social media comes the news that the Third Front would be born in Odessa. In a video these Ukrainian citizens say: “WE are Ukrainians living in the heroic city of Odessa. Today we announce that the Third Front has been formed and is ready to fight for independence. We intend to avenge the murder in the House of Trade Unions, for 10 years of indignation and oppression. We intend to kill your commanders and blow up your headquarters. We intend to cleanse our glorious heroic city of fascist dogs… We have created a channel in which we support Russia and the Russian army!”
In the usual morning press conference Dmitry Peskov declared: “The situation at the front is now “far from favorable” for Ukraine; the United States, providing assistance to Ukraine, provokes Kiev to continue hostilities and take advantage of it; Kiev, with the “support” of the United States, is forced to fight “to the last Ukrainian”, guaranteeing profits to the Americans and their military-industrial complex”.
And now I look at the front line updated at 4:00 pm on April 18th.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense: “The Russian army destroyed the control center with its attack operational command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “North””.
On April 17, the Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on Chernihiv, hitting a personnel deployment point. The attack also hit Konstantinivka: according to pro-Russian social media sources, there were Ukrainian military personnel in the school. During the day, Russian troops attacked targets in Starokostyantyniv, Khmelnytskyi region, Kiev region, Kryvyi Rih, Odessa region, Kurachove (part of the DPR under control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces). Regarding the attacks in Chernihiv, the pro-Russian social sphere states that: “Two hotels were hit by the Iskander. With dozens of deaths. Polish and French military engineers and military defense managers were staying in the hotels. The Franco-Polish contingent had arrived to build mines and technical barriers on the border”.
In the direction of Kherson, the Ukrainian Armed Forces again deployed small landing groups in Krynki, somewhat expanding their presence in the village stretching along the coast. The total number of Ukrainian personnel would not exceed 100 people, the Ukrainians, according to Russian social media sources, have a limited ability to maneuver, but they move from one cover to another in Krynki itself. One civilian was killed and four wounded by Ukrainian shelling near the Kakhovk Dam.
On the Zaporozhzhie front, the Russian Armed Forces repelled a Ukrainian counterattack northwest of Verbove, the enemy sent a group of 7 infantrymen into battle. In Rabotinye the troops covered the area where the armored vehicles were deployed with artillery fire. People on the ground report the insufficient level of organization and equipment of Russian electronic warfare. Ukrainian Armed Forces drones are active.
Heading south from Donetsk, the Russian Armed Forces are expanding the control zone south of Krasnohorivka. Fighting continues in Novomykhailivka. On the afternoon of April 18, a missile attack was launched on Dnipro (Dnepropetrovsk), missed by the Ukrainian air defense.
Northwest of Avdiivka, Russian armed forces are conducting active offensive operations near the village. Ocheretyne, in the area of Semenivk and Berdychi. Russian troops try to cover Novokalynove from the north. The Ukrainians confirm the further advance of the Russian armed forces already inside Ocheretyne, on the south-eastern outskirts. The situation in this area worsened very quickly for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to another source, the Russian armed forces set foot in the southeast of Ocheretyne and took fortifications covering the settlement from the south and east.
Furthermore, a large fortification between Ocheretyne and Novokalynove, may soon find itself in the pincers. The assault groups have already entered Novokalynove, from the south-east and continue to advance.
The offensive against Časiv Jar continues. Russian armed forces operate on the eastern outskirts of the city, gaining a foothold southwest of Bohdanivka, repelling the Ukrainian counterattack.
In the direction of Seversky Donetsk, fighting takes place in the direction of Vyimka and Bohdanivka. The combat contact line in the Krasnolimanskiy direction near Ternove remains unchanged.
On April 17 at nightfall, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an attack with Vampire MLRS on Belgorod, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the interception of 14 missiles, a total of 22 projectiles were announced. In the village of Razumnoye, as a result of a direct hit in a private residential building, a woman was injured by a shrapnel in her left foot.
In the Voronezh region, in the evening, Ukrainian UAVs attempted to attack an oil depot, suppressed electronic warfare drones fell on a timber warehouse and a fire broke out.
In the Rostov region, around 02:00 at night, 3 UAVs were destroyed in the Kamensk-Shakhtinsky area. In the first half of the day, UAVs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were destroyed over Tatarstan and Mordovia.
In the DPR, three civilians were injured by shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces: in Donetsk and Avdeevka. In total, the Ukrainians fired 54 projectiles at the civilian population of the DPR. On the afternoon of April 18, Ukrainian armed forces bombed the center of Horlivka: a hospital and a blood transfusion station were damaged. According to the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin, eight people were injured, including a child. Previously, the enemy had hit the city with HIMARS MLRS.
Graziella Giangiulio
