On the morning of October 18, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed 28 Ukrainian drones earlier in the day, according to Reuters.
In a statement on the messaging app Telegram, the Russian Defense Ministry said the drones were destroyed in Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk provinces as well as over the Black Sea. As of late on October 18, there was no information about Ukraine’s response to Russia’s statement.
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The Russian Defense Ministry also said Russian forces had repelled at least 15 attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine in the previous 24 hours, according to TASS news agency.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, its forces destroyed four rockets from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), an M777 artillery system supplied by the US, 51 UAVs and an unmanned Ukrainian boat.
A Ukrainian serviceman in a trench near the front line in Donetsk province, eastern Ukraine, on October 15.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that since the start of the military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian forces have destroyed about 8,000 Ukrainian UAVs. As of late October 18, there was no information about Ukraine's response to Russia's statement.
See more : Russia accuses Ukrainian UAVs of attacking Moscow, US speaks out
Putin says US supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine is wrong
Speaking to reporters in Beijing on October 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the US transfer of long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukrainian forces, according to RT. Mr. Putin stressed that Moscow could still repel attacks with ATACMS and that this type of missile would not be able to help Ukraine turn the tide on the battlefield.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a press conference in Beijing on October 18.
Putin also said that the ATACMS transfer to Ukraine was another mistake by Washington. He explained that if Washington had refrained from sending ATACMS, it could later consider itself a “good guy” for its efforts to prevent unnecessary casualties. “But they did it and it would have been fruitless. That’s why it was a mistake,” Putin said.
In his speech, President Putin also admitted that ATACMS transferred to Ukraine would cause harm and create additional risks for Russia, according to RT.
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President Putin made the above statement after The New York Times reported that the US had secretly transferred about 20 ATACMS missiles to Ukraine on the condition that Kyiv would not use these missiles to attack targets on Russian territory.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW, USA) believes that ATACMS will likely force Russian commanders to choose between consolidating existing ammunition depots or continuing to disperse them across areas controlled by Russian forces in Ukraine, according to The Kyiv Independent news site.
See also : Russia warns of consequences for Ukraine's use of US long-range missiles
Russia strengthens borders to counter Western weapons
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on October 18 that Russia is strengthening its western border to counter Western weapons transfers to Ukraine, according to TASS.
"The United States and its allies are supplying Ukraine with armored vehicles and air defense systems. In violation of international conventions, Washington has included cluster munitions in its military aid package. The delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv is becoming a reality, as they are expected to arrive in Ukraine next year. We are taking appropriate measures to counter these threats, strengthening our western borders," Shoigu said at a joint meeting of the Russian and Belarusian defense ministries.
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Minister Shoigu noted that in addition to weapons, NATO countries provide intelligence to the Ukrainian armed forces, train Ukrainian soldiers and send mercenaries and advisers to the country.
According to Mr. Shoigu, in an effort to protect the Kyiv government, "the Western collective has launched a hybrid war against Russia in the military, political , legal, economic and humanitarian fields."
"While imposing economic sanctions on our country, they are openly supporting Kyiv. The total amount spent on Ukraine has reached almost $200 billion," Shoigu said.
As of late October 18, there was no information about the reaction of the US or Ukraine to the above statement of the US Department of Defense.
See also : US says Ukraine is using cluster munitions 'effectively'
7 Ukrainian civilians died from Russian missiles?
Officials in Ukraine said Russian attacks on October 18 killed at least seven civilians in Ukraine and damaged the power grid in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, according to Reuters.
Specifically, four civilians were killed in a rocket attack on a residential building in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia in the morning and a 31-year-old woman was killed in an attack on the village of Obukhivka in the central Dnipropetrovsk province, according to officials.
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Separately, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin of Ukraine's southern Kherson region wrote on the Telegram messaging app that two people were killed in an attack earlier in the day in the region.
As of late October 18, there was no information about Russia's response to the above accusation. Moscow has long denied that its military campaign in Moscow targets civilian targets.
See more : Ukrainian soldiers: Occupying Robotyne village is just for 'media', moving during the day is '100% fatal'
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