Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Thousands of residents and guests of Crimea were left without electricity due to extreme heat. This was reported on July 18 by Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy of the Republic of Crimea Vladimir Voronkin.
About 11,000 residents of Simferopol and Alushta were left without electricity.
“Due to the abnormal increase in air temperature, as well as increased electricity consumption during the daytime, automatic systems are being triggered in the power supply networks,” Voronkin noted on his Telegram channel.
A total of 32 transformer substations and 4,790 power supply points were left without electricity. Power engineers have already begun restoration work. Voronkin called on residents and visitors of Crimea to use electricity sparingly.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Russian offensive has not stopped for the second year in a row.
The pace of the invaders' advance is accelerating. If the trend continues, Ukraine will lose more than 4,000 square kilometers by the end of this year, journalists claim.
Since the beginning of 2025, Russian troops have occupied a territory in Ukraine the size of Luxembourg. This was reported on Friday, July 18, by Bild , citing assessments by Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers.
The Russian army has occupied 2,395 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory since the beginning of the year. This is almost the size of Luxembourg (2,586 square kilometers). For comparison, in 2024, Russian troops captured 3,388 square kilometers. This means that their advance is accelerating. If the trend continues, Ukraine will lose more than 4 thousand square kilometers by the end of this year, the publication says.
It is claimed that in June alone the Ukrainian Armed Forces abandoned two dozen populated areas.
Due to the lack of personnel, the Ukrainian command allocates 5-10 people to defend small settlements, while Russian units of 20-50 soldiers attack them. Even if they lose half of the attackers killed and wounded, the rest reach their goal and capture the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, journalists write.
Let us recall that in June alone, the Russian army occupied 556 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory. This was reported by the analytical project DeepState. The greatest advances were in the Novopavlovsky and Pokrovsky directions.
The intelligence service also reported that by the beginning of July Russia had attracted more than 700 thousand servicemen to the war . This is a new record. In just two months, their number has grown by 60 thousand.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Korrespondent] The Pokrovskoe direction remains the most active. There, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have already stopped more than 20 Russian assaults in the areas of 12 populated areas.
Since the beginning of the current day, 78 combat clashes have occurred on the front. Russian invaders have concentrated their attacks in three directions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported in an operational report as of 16:00 on Friday, July 18.
Thus, in the Severo-Slobodskoy and Kursk directions, the Russians carried out 23 attacks. Four armed clashes are still ongoing.
In the South Slobodskoy direction, the enemy attacked three times in the areas of Vovchansk and Krasny Pervy.
In the Kupyansk direction, the Russian army's attack continues in the Stepova Novoselovka area.
In the Liman direction, the invaders carried out eight attacks in the areas of the settlements of Koroviy Yar, Karpovka, Kolodyazy, Shandrigolovo and Torskoye. Two clashes are ongoing.
In the Kramatorsk direction, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled two assaults in the area of Belaya Gora.
In the Toretsk direction, our defenders successfully repelled three attacks in the areas of Shcherbinovka and Aleksandro-Kalinovoye.
In the Pokrovsk direction, the occupiers carried out 28 assaults near the settlements of Poltavka, Vladimirovka, Novoekonomichnoe, Lisovka, Mirnograd, Pokrovsk, Zvirovoe, Kotlin, Molodetskoe, Udachnoe, Gorikhovoe, Alekseyevka. 24 attacks have already been stopped.
In the Novopavlovsk direction, our defenders stopped three assaults, another clash is ongoing at the moment. The enemy tried to advance in the areas of Zvezdka, Volnoye Pole, Novopol and towards Aleksandrovgrad.
In the Orekhov direction, one enemy attack was stopped near Kamyansky.
Six battles took place in the Dnieper direction . The enemy tried to advance in the direction of the settlements of Dneprovskoye, Sadovoye, Pridneprovskoye, in the area of the settlement of Gola Pristan and Kozulsky Island.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[NewsFront] 21:02 The lens of the reconnaissance UAV Severyan from the 1st Motorized Rifle Battalion captured an armored vehicle "Kozak" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine standing on a country road at a distance of five km from the state border. Our motorized riflemen attacked the armored vehicle by dropping it from a copter and transmitted the coordinates to their comrades.
FPV drone operators of the 2nd Motorized Rifle have finished their work and destroyed via a direct hit from a "bird" on an enemy armored vehicle abandoned by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the vicinity of the village of Guta-Studenetskaya (Snovsky district).
18:55 In the period from 14:00 Moscow time to 18:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed intercepted and 26 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
Nine over the territory of the Kaluga region,
Nine over the territory of the Bryansk region,
Six over the territory of the Moscow region,
One each over the territories of the Kursk and Smolensk regions.
16:59 The Russian Armed Forces advanced in the eastern part of Yablonovka in the Konstantinovsky direction, –MAP.
16:05 Signalmen of the 29th Combined Arms Army in the South Donetsk direction restored fiber optic communication line damaged as a result of a strike by a Ukrainian Armed Forces FPV drone.
The servicemen quickly arrived at the point of damage and, under enemy fire, carried out all necessary work. To ensure safety from the air, observers were deployed to monitor the air situation.
15:06 North group Scouts discovered the transfer of several combat groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the Rogozinskoye Nature Reserve (Chernihiv Oblast, Novgorod-Seversky District). The Ukrainian Armed Forces installed a satellite communications system and attempted to camouflage the dugout.
Our copter operator locked onto the enemy targets and first destroyed the Starlink, then hit the enemy bunker.
15:00 In the period from 12:05 Moscow time to 13:55 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed fourteen Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the aircraft type:
Nine over the territory of the Kaluga region,
Three over the territory of the Moscow region,
One each over the territories of the Bryansk and Oryol regions
13:36 Ministry of Defense RF:
Drone operators of the special forces unit of the "Center" group of forces destroyed dozens of pieces of equipment and fortifications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the approaches to Krasnoarmeysk.
Operators of attack UAVs of the Crimean paratroopers destroyed armored vehicles of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with personnel in the Sumy region.
FPV drone crews of the Vostok group of forces destroyed a Ukrainian tank near the village of Filiya in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The Geran-2 drone crews hit the enemy's operator training center and UAV assembly shop in the area of the Tatyanovka settlement in the DPR.
12:38 In the period from 11:00 Moscow time to 12:00 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed four Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type:
One over the territory of the Belgorod region,
One over the territory of the Tula region,
One over the territory of the Kaluga region,
One over the territory of the Bryansk region
12:32 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation from July 12 to July 18, 2025
From July 12 to July 18, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out five group strikes with air-launched precision weapons and attack unmanned aerial vehicles, which resulted in the destruction of enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine, infrastructure facilities of military airfields, assembly and storage sites for attack unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned boats, arsenals, fuel and military-technical equipment depots, territorial centers for the recruitment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed formations, nationalists and foreign mercenaries.
During the week, units of the North military group liberated the village of Degtyarnoye in the Khar'kov region.
The units of two mechanized, airborne assault, and motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were defeated.
In Sumy Oblast, they continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defense. Concentrations of manpower and equipment of three mechanized, two airborne assault, a Jaeger brigades, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were destroyed.
Over the course of a week, in the area of responsibility of the North group of forces, the enemy lost over 1,180 servicemen, 17 combat armored vehicles and 47 automobiles.
28 field artillery guns and six ammunition and supply depots were destroyed.
The units of the "West" group of forces improved their tactical position. Four mechanized, two assault, and an airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and three territorial defense brigades were defeated.
The enemy lost more than 1,550 troops, a tank, 11 armored combat vehicles, including an HMMWV armored car and a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier.
113 vehicles, 13 field artillery pieces, including three produced by NATO countries, 14 electronic warfare stations and 33 ammunition depots were destroyed.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defenses and liberated the settlement of Petrovka in the Donetsk People's Republic.
The manpower and equipment of three mechanized, airmobile, assault, mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were damaged.
Over the course of a week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 1,040 servicemen and an armored vehicle in this area. 26 vehicles, 13 field artillery guns, six electronic warfare stations, and 17 ammunition and supply depots were destroyed.
Units of the Center group of forces continued offensive operations on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Dnepropetrovsk region.
The settlements of Nikolaevka, Mayak and Popov Yar of the Donetsk People's Republic have been liberated.
The formations of four mechanized, airborne assault, mountain assault, and airborne brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, two naval infantry brigades, two territorial defense brigades, and two national guard brigades were defeated.
The enemy lost up to 2975 servicemen, 16 combat armored vehicles. 33 vehicles and 21 field artillery guns were destroyed.
Over the past week, units of the "East" group of forces advanced deep into the enemy's defenses and liberated the settlements of Karl Marx, Voskresenka, Novokhatskoye in the Donetsk People's Republic and Malinovka in the Zaporizhia region.
The manpower and equipment of five mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a naval infantry brigade, two territorial defense brigades and a national guard brigade were damaged.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost over 1,330 servicemen, two tanks, 13 armored combat vehicles, 78 cars, 16 field artillery pieces and seven electronic warfare stations.
Units of the Dnepr group of forces liberated the settlement of Kamenskoye in the Zaporizhia region. Formations of two mechanized, mountain assault brigades, a coastal defense brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and two territorial defense brigades were defeated.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost more than 420 servicemen and 62 vehicles. 52 electronic warfare stations, 24 ammunition, material and fuel depots were destroyed.
Over the course of a week, air defense systems shot down two US-made HIMARS multiple launch rockets, two Neptune long-range guided missiles, 28 guided aerial bombs, and 1,387 aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.
In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the following have been destroyed:
664 aircraft,
283 helicopters,
70,353 unmanned aerial vehicles,
619 anti-aircraft missile systems,
24,249 tanks and other armored combat vehicles,
1,577 combat vehicles of multiple launch rocket systems,
27,529 field artillery pieces and mortars,
38,351 units of special military vehicles.
11:36 North group Scouts detected movement of Ukrainian occupiers in the small village of Malye Prokhody (Dergachevsky district).
The coordinates were transmitted to the UAV operators of the 1431st Motorized Rifle Regiment, who used an FPV drone to strike, destroying the Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers who were trying to take cover in an abandoned building.
11:07 In the period from 9.50 Moscow time to 10.15 Moscow time, air defense systems on duty destroyed five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the airplane type over the territory of the Bryansk region.
10:22 Temporary deployment point of the 25th Airborne Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Rodinskoye in the DPR destroyed FAB-1500 aerial bomb. The strike was carried out at the moment when the greatest concentration of personnel was observed.
The UAV control point of the 39th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the settlement of Olgovka in the Kherson region was hit by a light multi-purpose air-to-surface guided missile.
09:02 Calculation of the 122mm BM-21 MLRS "Grad" of the 90th Guards Tank Division of the "Center" group of forces destroyed enemy stronghold in the Krasnoarmeysk direction.
The artillerymen were covered by air observation post servicemen, who were responsible for shooting down more than a dozen enemy drones.
07:30 Changes to map over the past 24 hours:
Degtyarnoye has been liberated
Popov Yar settlement liberated
07:22 During the past night, from 23:00 Moscow time on July 17 to 7:00 Moscow time on July 18, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 73 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles:
31 UAVs were flying over the Bryansk region,
17 UAVs were flying over the Oryol region,
10 UAVs were flying over the Moscow region,
Four UAVs were flying over the Republic of Crimea,
Three UAVs were flying over the Sea of Azov,
Two UAVs were flying over the Smolensk region,
Two UAVs were flying over the Nizhny Novgorod region,
One UAV was flying over the Belgorod region,
One UAV was flying over the Kaluga region,
One UAV was flying over the Voronezh region,
One UAV was flying over the Black Sea.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Denis Davydov
[REGNUM] All Ukrainian media outlets (and not only them) vied with each other to trumpet the attack on the Aurora multimarket in Dobropillia on July 16, posting horrific pictures of destruction and fires – all from angles that did not have a huge crater.
Either from afar, in a general shot, or very close up, with a passenger car riddled with small fragments.
Although, as the head of the Donetsk regional military administration Vadim Filashkin reported, “the occupiers launched a 500-kilogram aerial bomb at the center of Dobropolye” and the Russians “deliberately struck where there are always many people.”
According to him, 54 retail outlets, 304 apartments in 13 buildings and eight cars were damaged, four local residents were killed and 27 were injured. July 18 was declared a day of mourning in the city.
"The authorities and all responsible services are working at the site of the strike. The rubble is being cleared away - we hope that there will be no more victims, because at the time of the strike the shopping center was already closed," the head of the OVA said, specifying that the shopping center closed at 17:00, and the strike happened at 17:20, which is important for the further narrative.
In turn, Volodymyr Zelensky, commenting on the attack, said that “this is simply terrible, stupid Russian terror” and there is no military sense in such strikes - “only an attempt to take as many lives as possible.” As usual, he promised to respond and work with partners “in order to force Russia to end the war.”
The Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, in turn, opened a criminal case under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - a war crime. And Filashkin called on civilians in the region to evacuate to safer regions of Ukraine - and this is also a fundamentally important point.
Since the circumstances of what happened turned out to be completely different, when IA Regnum contacted its sources directly in Dobropillia to clarify the details.
According to our interlocutors, the absence of a bomb crater in the uniform photos and videos is explained simply - the strike was carried out from artillery guns of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the outskirts of the city. Therefore, in the pictures taken by journalists from the Telegram channel of the head of the OVA, multiple damages from small fragments are visible.
The time of the strike was chosen so that, on the contrary, there were no people in the stores, but it was not possible to avoid casualties. Although no one is particularly worried about this. The multimarket was seriously damaged, but this only plays into the hands of the military administration, since it is a serious argument in favor of evacuation - there will be practically nowhere to buy food and household goods in the city.
Back in September last year, the largest retail chain ATB closed its store in Dobropillya following Pokrovsk. And another large shopping center burned down "for unknown reasons."
As our source explains, it was the efforts of the same Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen who offered to pay the owners a monthly bribe and were refused.
"They tell us to leave. Those who don't leave will be severely cleansed, because only those who are "waiting" will remain. They haven't set any deadlines, but they are constantly pushing us to make sure that no one stays here. I am also packing my things, but I just don't understand where to go and what to do there," complains a resident of Dobropillya, who needs to think not only about himself, but also about his family with elderly parents.
Thus, the army command and the military-civil administration are clearly fulfilling the task of turning the former 28,000-strong mining town into a military facility. Given the situation at the front, Dobropillya is becoming one of the key hubs for supplying the Ukrainian Armed Forces group and, in the future, a fortified area.
During the Soviet and Ukrainian periods, one of the largest coal mining associations was located here, which included nine coal mines and two mine construction organizations. Accordingly, a railway line was laid to the city, connecting it with Lozovaya in the north and Krasnoarmeysk (aka Pokrovsk) in the south - the "railway" runs almost parallel to the current line of combat contact, which is very convenient for the defenders.
This is confirmed by fresh information from the Russian Ministry of Defense, which on July 17 published video recordings of attacks on Ukrainian Armed Forces rail transport, which, according to intelligence, was used to transport military cargo in the Dobropolye area.
As specified, FPV drone crews of the Rubicon test center carried out several pinpoint strikes on diesel locomotives in the area of the village of Belozerskoye, north of the city. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the trains were regularly used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to transport ammunition and equipment.
And the fact that the Russian side is actively using FPV drones is also confirmed by local residents - they flew into Dobropillia itself. And the situation at the front is completely consistent with what people say.
As is known, over the past week, Russian troops in the SVO zone have made progress in several sections of the front, primarily on the approaches to Krasnoarmeysk and in the area of the city of Konstantinovka. This, in turn, is a parallel branch of the former Donetsk railway, going from Kramatorsk. And it is connected to the "Dobropolye" in the north - by a perpendicular route from Dubovo, where electric trains used to go from Dobropolye.
But the most alarming situation for the Ukrainian army is developing near Krasnoarmeysk-Pokrovsk, the closest neighbor of the Dobropolye. The city itself and the adjacent Mirnograd (former Dimitrov), where more than 100 thousand people lived before the conflict, have already been turned into a well-equipped fortified area. The Ukrainian Armed Forces command is mainly relying on the defense of industrial zones and protracted battles in residential areas.
The Russian group of forces "Center" has begun an operation to deeply encircle the city from the north and, as sources of the IA Regnum in the active army report, the main target is the T0515 highway - the road to Krasnoarmeysk through the cities of Rodinskoye and Dobropolye and further to the Kharkov region.
One of the main supply routes is already partially under fire control.
If the road is cut, the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison in Krasnoarmeysk will have a route along the E50 highway to Dnepropetrovsk and the same railway that passes through the Grishino station in Dobropolye significantly to the west of the highway, which the Russian Armed Forces are 3-5 kilometers away from.
It is completely logical that in the current situation, the eyes and ears of the civilian population, who have no love for the "defenders", are unnecessary and dangerous. If we were able to find out who actually "dropped a 500-kilogram bomb" near a shopping center, then specially trained people can also obtain information about the quantity and composition of military cargo, their storage locations, the schedule of movement of vehicles, the equipment of firing positions in the industrial zone and other things that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would like to keep secret.
Since the preservation of the political regime and the "elite" is much more important than ordinary people, they are thrown out of their homes without any pity. Then the Dobropolians will be left to their own devices - either to go to Europe without a penny in their pocket, or to wander around "their" cities, where no one is happy to see them and is unlikely to help with housing, work and other necessary things.
And this fully corresponds to the formula that was defined for Donbass long before Maidan and became a constant of domestic policy after it: according to the victorious minority, “ superfluous people ” live here and are subject to destruction. And the region itself has been repeatedly called “gangrene” for Ukraine that needs to be removed.
This is exactly what has been happening systematically for 11 years now: the once cozy and calm Dobropillia will obviously become another ghost town.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In North Ossetia, two teenagers were detained and taken into custody, who are accused of preparing a terrorist attack against law enforcement officers. This was reported on July 18 by the Investigative Committee of Russia.
The criminal case against 15-year-old local residents, who are supporters of a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation, is being investigated under two articles of the Russian Criminal Code: preparation for a terrorist act committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy, and undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities.
According to the investigation, from June 2024 to May 2025, the accused underwent training and acquired specialized literature and instructions.
“In May 2025, the accused purchased components for making a homemade explosive device in the city of Mozdok and stored them at their places of residence for the purpose of subsequently committing a terrorist act against law enforcement officers,” the investigative agency said in a statement.
The teenagers did not have time to commit the planned crime; they were detained by law enforcement officers. They are currently in custody.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Following the European Union (EU), Great Britain lowered the price ceiling for Russian oil from $60 to $47.6 per barrel. This was reported on July 18 by Reuters.
“The eighteenth package of EU sanctions against Russia includes a reduction in the price ceiling for crude oil to approximately $47.6 per barrel,” the publication says.
Earlier, the EU Council announced that, as part of the new package of anti-Russian sanctions, Brussels is introducing an automatic mechanism to change the ceiling on the price of Russian oil and reducing its maximum price from $60 to $47.6 per barrel. In addition, the EU has imposed a complete ban on operations with the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, including the supply of goods and services.
On July 18, the permanent representatives of the EU countries agreed on the 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions. It will include restrictions on banks, as well as 105 vessels allegedly involved in the transportation of Russian oil. An oil refinery from India was also added to the list.
State Duma deputy Alexey Chepa said that Russia could take a number of steps in response to the 18th package of sanctions, which could significantly affect the economy of the European Union. The deputy also allowed for the possibility of new strikes on military facilities and infrastructure in Ukraine, emphasizing that in this case the effect of the new package of sanctions would be the opposite of what was expected.
Political scientist and specialist in interethnic conflicts Evgeny Mikhailov, in a conversation with the Regnum news agency, previously stated that for Russia this sanctions package will not change anything in a global sense, but Europe is thus driving itself even further into a corner.
The introduction of 100% duties on goods from the Russian Federation, the possibility of which was previously admitted by US President Donald Trump, would lead to a sharp increase in world oil prices. This was reported on July 17 by the CNN television channel, citing sources.
"World oil prices could rise sharply if Russia suddenly stops exporting more than 7 million barrels of oil a day," the article says.
The authors noted that the introduction of duties would have a negative impact on the situation in the two largest Asian markets - India and China, where they would begin to look for alternative supplies to avoid paying duties.
Using such restrictions to prevent other countries from buying Russian oil would be a "crude instrument of pressure" and could provoke "even greater chaos in the rest of the world," the report added.
On July 14, Trump said he was "very unhappy with Russia's actions" and threatened to impose secondary sanctions of 100% on goods from Russia if Moscow did not reach a peace agreement with Kiev within the next 50 days. He also expressed confidence that the arms supplies to Ukraine agreed upon with the EU would speed up the process of concluding a peace agreement.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously stated: Moscow wants to understand what is behind the US President's statement about "50 days". Russian President Vladimir Putin called for not being afraid of new sanctions and preparing for any developments. He repeatedly noted that the West wanted to weaken Russia with sanctions, but the restrictive measures had the opposite effect. The Russian leader emphasized the important stimulating role of Western sanctions for the development of the Russian economy.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
