On February 18, Ukrainian military forces reported significant combat activity on the front lines, with 201 clashes recorded since the start of the day. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine detailed a series of aggressive actions by Russian forces, including a missile strike, numerous air assaults, and extensive drone operations.
According to the report, Russian forces launched one missile strike and conducted 51 airstrikes, dropping 156 guided bombs. Additionally, they deployed 3,191 kamikaze drones and carried out 2,076 shelling incidents targeting both populated areas and Ukrainian military positions.
More than half of the engagements occurred in three key areas: the Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk directions in Donetsk, and the Huliaipole direction in Zaporizhzhia. In the Kostiantynivka area, Russian troops attempted to storm Ukrainian defenses near several locations, including Kostiantynivka, Berestk, and Stepanivka, with 16 assaults reported. However, as of the latest update, no active storming operations were ongoing.
In the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces launched 39 attacks, trying to advance in the vicinity of settlements such as Zatyshok, Rodynske, and Shchevchenko. Three attempts to improve their positions in this area are still in progress.
The Huliaipole direction saw 48 attacks, particularly around Huliaipole and moving towards Dobropillia and other nearby settlements. Three of these assaults are ongoing as well.
Combat activity was also reported in the Southern Slobozhansky, Kupiansk, Lyman, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Oleksandrivka, and Orikhiv directions.
On February 15, military analyst Kostiantyn Mashovets from the Information Resistance group indicated that Ukrainian forces had conducted counteroffensive operations in several areas around Huliaipole and Zaporizhzhia. He noted that Ukrainian troops had successfully pushed Russian forces out of several villages near Pokrovsk in the Dnipropetrovsk region and Terneve in Zaporizhzhia, as well as to the north and west of Huliaipole and south of Zaporizhzhia.
Despite these reports, the Ukrainian General Staff has not publicly commented on the counteroffensive actions in southern Ukraine, although it has acknowledged that Russian forces are actively conducting assaults in the region.
Intense fighting has erupted in eastern Ukraine, with Ukrainian forces reporting over 200 clashes on February 18. Russian military actions include missile strikes, air assaults, and extensive drone usage, particularly in the Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk areas, while Ukrainian troops are reportedly conducting counteroffensive operations in some regions.