In Ukraine, Friday, March 18, came with reports of the Ukrainian army repelling attacks of the Russian occupation forces, an air strike near western city of Lviv and attempts by the invaders to search for civil servants and members of the military in occupied territories, Ukrinform and BBC report.
Informing about the developments of Russia’s war against Ukraine over the last 24 hours to Friday morning, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces wrote that Ukrainian troops continued to attack groups of enemy soldiers trying to consolidate and hold the captured defensive lines.
It claimed that Ukrainian troops stopped the advance of units of the 437th Training Regiment and the 26th Tank Regiment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation into Ukraine. It also claimed that over the past day, bombing and assault aircraft of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine inflicted heavy blows on the columns of enemy military equipment and anti-aircraft missile forces and fighter jets were said to have hit 14 enemy air targets: 7 planes, 1 helicopter, 3 UAVs and 3 cruise missiles.
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«Due to the fact that the occupiers have significantly exhausted human resources [], the command of the armed forces of the Russian Federation is forced to extreme measures in matters of staffing. They are conducting covert mobilization, attracting so-called volunteers, conscripts and cadets, as well as mercenaries from the Syrian Arab Republic,» according to the report.
As to the actions of Russian troops in the territories of Ukraine they have invaded since February 24, the General Staff claimed that Russian troops were distributing food to the civilian population and at the same time, searching for and detaining pro-Ukrainian activists, civil servants, members of the Ukrainian military and their families, as well as other citizens, who could organize resistance to the occupation.
At a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Permanent Council, the EU condemned the fact that the Russian Armed Forces have abducted democratically elected mayors and other local authorities in Ukraine, including in Dniprorudne, and demands their immediate release. The EU has also seen reports that Russia may plan another fake referendum at gunpoint in the occupied city Kherson, as well as in other parts of Ukraine, Ukrinform quoted the EU’s statement to OSCE Permanent Council.
Russian troops continued to attack Ukrainian cities with artillery shelling and air strikes. The capital Kyiv has been hit and an aircraft repair facility has been hit outside the calmer western city of Lviv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy turned to mothers of Russian soldiers in his latest video address. See the speech in Ukrainian with English subtitles.
Day 23 of war in Ukraine: Air strike on Lviv, Russia searches for opponents in occupied territories, plans «referendums»
