DPR Troops Take Control Of Mariupol Airport. Russia Reveals Epic POV Video Of Helicopter Operation Near Kyiv

During the day of March 18, street fighting continued in the city of Mariupol, which is fully encircled by the joint forces of Russia and the DPR. After taking control of Levoberejie (Left Bank) District of the city in its eastern part, Russian-led forces established control over Mariupol Airport in the southwestern part of the city. Clashes are also ongoing in the northwestern part of the city, around the city center.

The industrial area of Azovstal currently remains one of the last real strongholds of Kyiv’s forces, including detachments of the Neo-Nazi ‘Azov battalion’ in Mariupol.

Strike on the area of Azovstal:

In the sector to the east of Donetsk city, DPR troops supported by the Russian Armed Forces are still storming the defense line of Kyiv’s forces in Maryinka, Avdiivka and Verkhnetoretskoe.

In the area north of Ugledar, Russian troops are advancing towards the southern flank of Kyiv troops deployed in Maryinka. The Russians took control of Zolotaya Niva and secured most of the Ugledar-Velikaya Novoselka road.

At the same time, LPR troops continued eliminating Ukrainian forces in Severodonetsk after the liberation of the town of Rubezhnoe near it. Clashes were also reported around Popasnaya.

In the region of Mykolaiv, the Russians were conducting an operation to block Mykolaiv city from the northern direction. The current aim is to cut off the northern road towards Noavaya Odessa.

In the northeast of Ukraine, fighting is reported near Kharkov city and in the Izum area (in the southern part of the region).

Fighting is ongoing east of Kharkov and around Izyum. The  town of Izum still remains contested. Nonetheless, reports suggest that the Russians already cut off the road south of it (towards Slovyansk). If these reports are confirmed, this will mean that the fate of the group of Kyiv’s forces in Izum is predetermined.

There were no major changes of the situation around such cities as Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy. Nonetheless, videos and photos from these areas demonstrate that the Russians are mostly working to entrench themselves around them.

Russian battle tanks are near Kyiv:

Another Ukrainian surface-to-air missile fell in the residential area. MSM will soon report ‘Russian strikes’ there:

On March 18, the Russian military announced that its forces had conducted a strike with two Iskander missiles at Tochka-U ballistic missiles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area around Melitopol city.

Last night, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched Tochka-U missiles with cluster-warheads on the residential areas of Melitopol city. The attack was from the northern direction, the south-eastern outskirts of Zaporizhzhia. The attack was repelled by Russian air defense forces.

“The subsequent application of ballistic missiles against civilian residents by the Kiev regime whose representatives knew about the absence of Russian Armed Forces firing positions in residential areas of Melitopol proves the criminal nature of the nationalist leadership of Ukraine,” the defense ministry said.

Additionally, Russian forces carried out a new strike on the military infrastructure of Ukraine. The strikes hit a facility with Ukrainian combat aircraft at the aircraft repair plant in the city of Lviv, as well as ammunition depots and Ukrainian military equipment in the suburbs of Mykolaiv and Voznesensk.

During the day, Russian operational-tactical, army and unmanned aircraft hit 54 military facilities of Ukraine. This includes three command posts, four installations of multiple launch rocket systems, four ammunition depots and 44 places of gathering of military equipment.

According to the Russian side, since the start of the military operation, Russian forces have destroyed 184 unmanned aerial vehicles, 1,412 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 142 multiple rocket launchers, 542 field artillery and mortars, and 1,211 units of special military vehicles.

The Russian military also reported that it has obtained reliable information that in Dnepropetrovsk (Dnipro) employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) mined one of the buildings of the city hospital Number 2 on Nigoyan Street. SBU members are going to blew up the building during the flight of “any Russian aircraft” over Dnepropetrovsk.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry continues to reveal details of the epic helicopter landing operation at Hostomel Airfield near Kyiv that took place on February 24 and allowed to take control of this facility.

The Russian Defense Ministry (link):

The crews of a rotorcraft attack group have conducted a tactical landing operation at one of the Ukrainian military airfields. The group of Ka-52 and Mi-24 attack helicopters has destroyed the firing positions of the man-portable air defense system (MANPAD) operators, air defence missile systems and armoured vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces around the perimeter of the airfields.

The attack was being conducted by missile and fire armament mounted on the helicopters in various manoeuvres that facilitated the safe tactical landing at the airfield.

The army aviation crews had promptly detected the camouflaged air defence systems and MANPAD positions hidden behind civilian vehicles. The pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces have completely destroyed the air defence system of the airfield by using organic air ordnance.

The commander of the leading Ka-52 helicopter attacked by an intensive MANPAD fire has covered the group of Mi-8 helicopters by drawing the shelling to his vehicle.

The leading helicopter has been shelled 18 times by MANPAD and air defence systems from the ground. After being damaged, the crew carried out a precautionary landing and organised a perimeter defence holding it until the arrival of the second rotorcraft attack group despite the continuous attack held by the units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The crew of the damaged helicopter did not get hurt and was evacuated to the main airfield of the second rotorcraft attack group.

Thanks to the courage and heroism of the main attack group formed by Ka-52 and Mi-24 helicopters, the landing operation of the Airborne Troops units has been conducted without loss.

MORE ON THE TOPIC:

• NATO Sends 140,000 Troops To Eastern Europe. Face To face with Moscow
• Military Situation In Mariupol On March 18, 2022 (Map Update)
• Kyiv’s Forces Are On Retreat In Donbass. Rubezhnoe Falls. Severodonetsk Is Next

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