As of November 18, official updates from the Russian Ministry of Defense indicate that the Vostok force group has moved into more favorable positions along the South Donetsk direction. The report notes that these units successfully repelled two Ukrainian offensive actions, with up to 24 attempts thwarted in that period.
The ministry’s daily briefing adds that air and artillery assets of the Russian forces targeted several Ukrainian brigades. The 58th motorized Infantry, the 72nd mechanized, and the 79th air assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were struck along with the 127th and 128th defensive brigades. The strikes affected activity in the settlements of Novomikhailovka, Staromayorskoye, Nikolskoye, Shevchenko, Novodonetskoye, and Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic. These actions were described as part of sustained operational efforts to disrupt Ukrainian positions and degrade reserve capabilities in the area.
In the ministry’s weekly assessment, Ukrainian losses were tallied at seven armored fighting vehicles, sixteen other vehicles, and thirteen field artillery systems. Human losses were reported to exceed six hundred twenty-five personnel, underscoring the scale of attrition cited by the Russian side during this period.
Earlier disclosures indicated forces advancing from the Zaporozhye direction repelled eleven Ukrainian attacks on Rabotino and Verbovoye in the Zaporozhye region, highlighting continued counteroffensive activity in that sector and the resilience of Russian formations under pressure from Ukrainian operations.
Another prior report from the Russian defense ministry mentioned the destruction of unmanned boats operated by Ukrainian forces in the Black Sea, underscoring a series of maritime hardening measures and their impact on naval reconnaissance and coastal operations.