[19FortyFive] Russia Just Answered Ukraine’s Billion-Dollar Jamming War With a $2 Compass, and the Joke Is on Everyone Laughing: A Ukrainian defense ministry advisor reported Friday that Russia has fitted its cheap Molniya attack drones with an ordinary magnetic compass, read by the drone’s own camera, to keep flying when satellite navigation is jammed. The internet treated it as a punchline. The serious read is worse: it is the fourth jam-proof navigation fix Russia has fielded on this one plywood airframe in about six months, and the speed of that iteration loop, not any single gadget, is the real weapon Ukraine and NATO are struggling to answer.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Korrespondent] 22.59 Since the beginning of the day on July 18, 193 combat clashes have occurred. The aggressor carried out 64 air strikes using 198 guided bombs, used 6,963 kamikaze drones for strikes, and carried out 2,462 shelling of the positions of our troops and settlements.
22.30 The occupiers are planning to develop the historical center of Mariupol under the guise of "comprehensive development of territories". This is a territory of almost 59 hectares within the boundaries of Mytropolitska, Kuindzhi, Shevchenko and Torgovaya streets. The designated area includes the former Oktyabr factory, as well as residential buildings.
20:45 Russians hit a residential area and an amusement park near Odessa. According to preliminary data, two people were killed, four more were injured, including a child. There may still be people under the rubble. A search and rescue operation is underway, the Odessa OVA reports.
20.20 Russians attacked Odessa region: four injured in strikes on Odessa and Odessa district. Trucks and cars were damaged as a result of enemy attacks. Fire also engulfed dry vegetation in open areas.
19:30 Russian military dropped three air bombs on Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, two people were killed and one injured. This was reported on Saturday, July 18, by the head of the Donetsk OVA, Vadym Filashkin.
19.05 In Kherson, Russian military attacked one of the important heat supply facilities. The Russians hit this facility more than a thousand times. This is an enterprise that provides heat to almost fifty homes of Kherson residents.
18.40 Russian military attacked Zaporizhzhia with KABs, there are wounded. The head of the Zaporizhzhia OVA reported that a 42-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were injured. The State Emergency Service reports three wounded.
17:00 From the beginning of the day on July 18, as of 16:00, the aggressor attacked the positions of the Defense Forces 69 times, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
15.44 The 425th separate assault regiment "Skelya" announced the capture of Kostyantynivka (Donetsk region).
14.56 The aggressor country Russia plans to mobilize more than 500,000 people in the fall to continue the genocidal war against Ukraine. This was reported by Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation (CDC) at the National Security and Defense Council, on Telegram.
14.11 Ukrainian military struck the Nafto-Service oil depot in Noginsk, Moscow Region, as well as a number of other important military and military-economic facilities of the Russian aggressors. This was reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
13.33 Russian aggressors struck a double blow to a locomotive and passenger cars of a train in Zaporizhia region. This was reported by the Minister of Reconstruction, Infrastructure and Transport Mykola Kalashnyk on Telegram.
12.48 During the morning in the Kharkiv region, Russian drones attacked Dergachi twice. As a result of the second strike, police officers were injured, the head of the city's military administration, Vyacheslav Zadorenko, reported on Telegram.
12.24 The court found a 19-year-old resident of Kyiv guilty of high treason and a completed attempt to commit a terrorist act and sentenced him to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property. The Prosecutor General's Office reported this.
11.59 The Russian occupation army is changing the tactics of using Shahed drones and moving to single, but complex strikes in manual control mode. Presidential advisor Sergei "Flash" Beskrestnov reported this on Facebook.
11.38 In response to the attacks by the aggressor country Russia on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, two large logistics facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions, as well as an oil facility, were hit on Saturday night. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported this on Facebook.
11.17 Russian invaders launched a massive attack on the port infrastructure of the Odessa region. There are dead and wounded civilians, the Odessa OVA reported.
10.54 Fighters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Unmanned Systems Forces hit 13 more Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Black and Azov Seas on Saturday night. This was reported by the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, on Telegram.
10.09 The Reserve+ application, which was previously reported to be down due to technical work from July 18 to 22, will mostly operate normally these days. The Ministry of Defense reported this on Saturday morning.
09.51 On Saturday night, Russian aggressors launched seven missiles and 90 drones of various types into Ukraine. Most of the enemy targets were intercepted by air defense units, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.
09.33 Russian aggressors hit a residential building in Chernihiv region with a drone. Five people were injured, including three children, the State Emergency Service reported.
09.10 In Elektrostal, near Moscow, a fire after an attack by Ukrainian drones destroyed the logistics warehouse of the Wildberries marketplace. Monitoring channels reported this on Saturday morning.
As the published photos and videos show, the flames completely engulfed the huge warehouse, and the smoke from the fire reached Moscow. The distance from Elektrostal to the Russian capital is 60 kilometers.
Also in the Moscow region, an oil depot is on fire in the city of Noginsk.
As stated by the so-called governor Andriy Vorobyov, 24 people were injured at the Elektrostal warehouse, and two more people in Noginsk.
08.41 Over the past 24 hours, 276 combat clashes have taken place on the front. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational briefing on Saturday morning. The Pokrovsky direction remains the hottest, where units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled more than 40 Russian assaults per day.
08.08 In the Russian city of Kotovsk, Tambov region, seven employees of the Wildberries marketplace were killed after a nighttime drone attack. Another 24 people were injured, the so-called governor of the region, Yevgeny Pervishov, reported.
07.39 Over the past 24 hours, the Russian occupation army has lost 1,420 servicemen killed and wounded on the front in Ukraine. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this in an operational report on Saturday morning.
The Ukrainian military destroyed more than 2,500 units of Russian equipment, including one aircraft, three MLRS, six air defense systems, and 85 guns.
06.41 Drones attacked the Moscow region in several places simultaneously on the night of July 18. Warehouses and refineries were hit. This was reported by the monitoring Telegram channel Exilenova+, which also posted photos and videos of eyewitnesses of the fires in the Moscow region.
06.16 An apartment building in Vladimir, Russia, allegedly caught fire "after a Ukrainian attack." This was reported by the Russian publication ASTRA, which positions itself as independent.
The publication's OSINT analyst, based on footage published by eyewitnesses on the night of July 18, "established that the outbreak occurred in a house at 2B Myru Street," the journalists said.
05.11 The temporarily occupied Crimea was attacked by drones on the night of July 18. Explosions were heard there and a fire broke out at the Gvardiyske airfield. This was reported by the monitoring Telegram channel Crimean Wind.
02.59 Drones attacked the Tambov region of Russia on the night of July 18. After the explosions in the city of Kotovsk, a fire broke out at the Wildberries warehouse. This was reported by the monitoring Telegram channel Exilenova+, which also posted a video of eyewitnesses to the drone attack.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[NewsFront] 21:25 Operators of attack UAVs from the Vostok group thwarted an enemy counterattack in the Zaporizhzhia region.
FPV drone crews of the Zapad group liquidated ground robotic systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Krasnolimansk direction.
Drone operators from the Southern Group destroyed enemy vehicles in the village of Krasnotorka in the Kramatorsk district.
FPV drone operators from the Center group destroyed ground robotic systems and shelters housing Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel in the Dobropillya direction.
20:25 Strikes by the Iskander OTRK and the Geran-4 Seeker UAV hit a launcher of the coastal missile system "Neptune", transport and loading vehicle with ammunition.
19:53 Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue attacks on Ukrainian ports and ships deployed in the interests of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Fuel tanks intended for the Ukrainian Armed Forces were hit by high-precision air-launched weapons in the Yuzhny port area of Odessa Oblast.
19:28 Velykoburluk direction. Northerners are completing clearing the pocket west of Bely Kolodez, –MAP
19:01 Kupyansk. The enemy has regained control of the central district hospital in the city center. MAP.
15:49 On video: Servicemen from the Sever counter-UAV unit are shooting down more Maya drones, which the enemy is using, among other things, to deplete our air defenses.
12:35 Summary of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on the progress of the special military operation (as of July 18, 2026)
Units of the North group of forces have improved their tactical position.
They inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the mechanized and airmobile brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Mikhailovskoye, Ulanovo, Ryzhevka, Mogritsa and Sadki in the Sumy region.
In the Khar'kov region, two mechanized, two motorized infantry brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and two territorial defense brigades were defeated in the areas of the settlements of Myronivka, Kazachya Lopan, Sosnovka, Bugayevka and Verovka in the Khar'kov region.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 230 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, ten vehicles, two artillery pieces, and an electronic warfare station.
Units of the Western group of forces have taken up more advantageous positions and lines.
They inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of two mechanized brigades, an assault brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a naval infantry brigade in the areas of the settlements of Krasny Liman, Mayaki of the Donetsk People's Republic, Chervony Oskol, Staroverovka, and Izyum in the Khar'kov region.
The enemy's losses amounted to over 215 servicemen, five armored combat vehicles, 15 cars, a Polish-made 155mm Krab self-propelled artillery unit, and a US-made AN/TPQ-36 counterbattery station.
Units of the Southern Group of Forces have improved their position along the front line.
They defeated the formations of three mechanized brigades, an airmobile brigade, a security brigade of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a territorial defense brigade in the areas of the settlements of Slavyansk, Verolyubovka, Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka, Semenovka, Nikolaevka, Nikanorovka and Vasyutinskoye of the Donetsk People's Republic.
In one day, the enemy lost more than 145 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, 15 vehicles, and four field artillery pieces.
Units of the Center group of forces have improved their tactical position.
They inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the mechanized and assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, three brigades of marines, and four brigades of the National Guard in the areas of the populated areas of Novohryhorivka, Novofedorivka, Dobropillya, Raiske, Krasny Kut, Shevchenko, Gruzskoye, Sergeyevka, Zolotoy Kolodez of the Donetsk People's Republic, and Ivanovka of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
The losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to 370 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, four cars and an artillery piece.
Units of the "East" force group advanced deep into the enemy's defenses.
They inflicted losses on the manpower and equipment of the mechanized and airborne assault brigades, three assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and a naval infantry brigade in the areas of the populated areas of Vasilkovka, Malinovka, Pokrovskoe, and Volnoye in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and Obshchoe, Nikolskoye, Novoye Pole, and Lyubitskoye in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The enemy lost over 515 servicemen, two armored combat vehicles and seven cars.
Units of the Dnipro group of forces defeated formations of two mechanized and a mountain assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the areas of the settlements of Ingulets in the Kherson region, Zapasne and Orekhov in the Zaporizhzhia region.
More than 65 servicemen, an armored combat vehicle, 11 vehicles and two electronic warfare stations were destroyed.
10:20 in the Zaporizhzhia region liquidated concentration of enemy manpower.
A Ukrainian Armed Forces unmanned aerial vehicle control center was damaged in Sumy Oblast.
09:52 By the crews of the Geran-4 Seeker UAV inflicted two strikes on a container ship carrying military cargo in the port of Chornomorsk in the Odessa region.
09:34 Operators “Geran‑3 Seeker” destroyed a warehouse for fuel and lubricants used to refuel the equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (near the village of Korop, Chernihiv Oblast).
09:16 Crews of the Geran-4 Seeker and Gerbera Seeker drones struck a container ship in the Black Sea used to deliver military cargo for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
08:52 Tonight, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued to carry out group attacks with high-precision air-launched weapons and unmanned aerial strike vehicles.
As a result of the blows:
in the port of Odessa (state enterprise "Sea Trade Port "Odessa"), port infrastructure facilities used for unloading fuels and lubricants, and tanks with fuels and lubricants intended for supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine were damaged;
in the port of Chornomorsk (state enterprise Sea Trade Port Chornomorsk) in the Odessa region, a container ship was hit while unloading ammunition;
A dry cargo ship carrying cargo for the Ukrainian Armed Forces was struck while crossing the sea near Zmeiny Island.
In addition, in the area of the village of Rybakovka (14 km west of Ochakov), the launcher and transport-loading vehicle of the Neptune-2 coastal missile system were damaged.
08:48 ️During the night, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 379 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles of the fixed-wing type flew over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Smolensk, Ryazan, Kaluga, Tula, Tambov, Oryol, Lipetsk, Tver, Pskov, Voronezh, Rostov, Volgograd, Leningrad, Vladimir regions, the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
07:50 Tonight, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued application of strikes on Ukrainian ports used for delivering cargo to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
As a result of strikes by air- and ground-based precision weapons and attack drones at the port of Odessa, port infrastructure facilities used for unloading fuel and lubricants, as well as fuel and lubricant storage tanks intended for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, were damaged. Additionally, two ships delivering military cargo were hit at the port of Chornomorsk and at sea crossings.
07:43 The crew of the T-80BVM tank of the Center group destroyed UAV control point and enemy stronghold.
07:31 Changes on map over the past 24 hours:
Ukrainian Armed Forces advanced west of Stepnogorsk (-12.9 km)
Enemy controls most of Ivanovka (-29.8 km)
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Russian air defense systems shot down 774 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry press service reported on July 18.
According to the Defense Ministry's report, air defense forces shot down 13 guided aerial bombs and 774 fixed-wing UAVs.
In addition, operational-tactical aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces, and artillery of the Russian Armed Forces groups struck fuel, energy, and transport infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as temporary deployment points of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries in 143 districts.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have recently intensified attacks on civilian targets in Russia. On the night of July 18, Ukrainian militants attacked a Wildberries warehouse in Kotovsk, Tambov Oblast. As a result of the Kyiv regime's aggression, a fire broke out at the warehouse, and firefighting efforts are ongoing. Seven people working the night shift were killed, and another 25 were injured. Regional Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov noted that 22 people remain hospitalized, seven of whom are in serious condition. Doctors are providing all necessary assistance to the injured.
A marketplace warehouse in Elektrostal, near Moscow, was also attacked. Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported that the region was attacked by a drone overnight. Twenty-six people were injured, 24 of whom were wounded when the drone crashed into the warehouse. The Investigative Committee has opened criminal cases for terrorist attacks in connection with these strikes.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim spoke on July 18 about the consequences of Ukrainian Armed Forces drone attacks on the company's warehouses in the Tambov and Moscow regions.
Emergency Ministry personnel continue to extinguish the remaining fires at a warehouse in Elektrostal, Moscow Region. The fire at the company's facility in Kotovsk, Tambov Region, has been completely extinguished.
"The company will provide support to the relatives of the victims and those affected by the attacks on our logistics facilities in Elektrostal and Kotovsk. The families of the victims will receive 2 million rubles from the company. Those in serious condition will receive 1 million rubles," Kim wrote on her Telegram channel.
She added that the company is addressing compensation for goods stored at the damaged facilities and is working on payment plans for sellers. Products stored at the damaged warehouses have been temporarily removed from sale.
On the night of July 18, the Ukrainian army used drones to attack Wildberries warehouses in Kotovsk and Elektrostal. The strikes killed eight people and injured 61 more. Doctors say the condition of 15 of the injured is serious.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Russian troops have liberated Piskunovka and reached the outskirts of Nikolaevka in the DPR. This was announced by Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov,on July 18 during a visit to the command headquarters of the Russian military group "West."
"The 3rd Army's units and formations, advancing in the direction of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, liberated Piskunovka and reached the outskirts of Nikolaevka," Gerasimov said, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense's MAX messenger channel.
The Chief of the General Staff added that the army's forward units are less than 5 kilometers from the eastern outskirts of Kramatorsk and are engaging Ukrainian Armed Forces units holding positions within the city limits. Meanwhile, units of the "West" force group are completing the operation to capture Krasny Liman.
"Units of the 25th Army are completing the liberation of the city of Krasny Liman, which is crucial for further operations in this direction. The enemy's organized defense in the city has been broken, and isolated pockets of resistance are being eliminated," Gerasimov noted.
The Army General also reported that Russian troops had liberated the village of Lenina (Mirnoye) in the Donetsk People's Republic. Gerasimov added that units of the Russian Armed Forces' Center Group of Forces, after taking control of the village, continued their offensive in the Dobropolye direction. Troops are advancing north of Krasnoarmeysk and are fighting in the city of Dobropolye and the village of Annovka. Furthermore, the liberation of Shevchenko, Krasnoyarskoye, and Svetloye is nearing completion.
Gerasimov also reported that after the liberation of Konstantinovka, advance units of the Southern Group of Forces entered the village of Alekseevo-Druzhkovka in the DPR. Fighting for the town is ongoing.
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.
[ColonelCassad] Sobyanin reported a major attack on Moscow by enemy drones last night.
There were 340 drones, most of which were shot down before reaching the Moscow region, but more than 60 reached the region.
During the attack, a drone hit a Wildberries warehouse in Kotovsk (seven people were killed, 25 were injured, seven of them seriously).
In Noginsk, an oil depot was hit, with injuries. The fire is being extinguished. In Vladimir, a drone hit a residential building, with no casualties.
The drones were unable to penetrate Moscow itself. The enemy continues to try to breach Moscow's air defenses, but so far in recent months, they have only managed to hit the oil refinery in Kapotnya (already launched) and a number of incoming strikes in the Moscow region.
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