🚈 🛤 Rail connection between Crimea, Zaporozhya, and Donbass will soon resume

The Russian occupied southern part of the Zaporozhya province contains highly important rail junctions.

Southern Ukraine will prove to be extremely valuable and strategic to Russia as a proper land connection between Crimea and the mainland. It appears they will aim to hold on to it permanently.

Turns out the North Crimean Canal was just one of many vital pieces of infrastructure in the region.

The town of Vasilevka contains a junction where trains coming from the Energodar nuclear power plant can travel on to the cities of Crimea, and vice versa.

Another branch exists connecting this rail network with that of the Donbass.

A future for strategic resources: Donbass coal can be supplied to the power plant, and iron ore from the mines of Dneprorudny to the metallurgical plants of the Donbass.

Artificial borders are being erased from the map and historically economically tied regions are becoming a single unit again. "We are returning the railways built by the Russian Empire and the USSR back to Russia again."

Reviving the economy of the region is what will incline the remaining inhabitants to sympathize with Russia.

Translation: @CIG_telegram / @UkraineUpdates

🇺🇦 Conversations from the Ukrainian-held Severodonetsk area.

"Our cities will soon become like what Mariupol is now. Everyone who remains should get out now... there's not much time left."

Evacuations west, free of cost, have been going on from the affected cities for weeks straight. Local channels and group chats are covered with phone numbers to call and addresses for busses and distribution of humanitarian aid. The urban area littered with tall apartment buildings has been bombarded day and night in a seemingly indiscriminate manner.

"All of those who are able to have already left. But many elderly people remain. Others have decided to stay in their city no matter what happens, and many of our neighbors are anticipating 'liberation' and the arrival of the Russian world. We can't convince them otherwise."

Out of all the cities of the Lugansk province, Severodonetsk and its neighbors probably had the most significant population with pro-Ukrainian sympathies, per the observations of this humble writer.

🇺🇦 Ukrainian authorities report that Russians in Izyum conducted reconaissance in the villages of Dmytrivka, Dibrivka, and Zavody, in order to expand their bridgehead over the Seversky Donets river. They withdrew after experiencing losses.

They also report that the Russians have renewed their offensive on Kreminna and Rubizhne.

https://t.iss.one/dsszzi_official/3057

🇺🇦🇷🇺 The Ukrainian governor of Lugansk has announced that the Russian army has entered the town of Kreminna and that fighting is underway inside the town. Multiple pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian sources corroborate. It is being said that a wider offensive operation has been launched.

https://t.iss.one/tvoy_region13/5814

Army Group "O" gathering between Kupyansk and Izyum in the eastern countryside of Kharkov. Preparing to go on the offensive

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Russian offensive underway in Zaporozhya province, allege multiple sources.

Affected areas: Orekhov and Hulyaipole districts.

Locals report that the roads are jammed today due to "active military operations." There are claims that Russian units have advanced

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Multiple sources allege heavy fighting underway in the Avdiivka and Kreminna fronts.

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Multiple sources corroborate that the offensive in Zaporozhya is underway. A local pro-Ukrainian outlet claimed last night that operations had begun and that the Russian army had gathered 10,000 men on the front

⚡🇷🇺 A.V. Sladkov claims that the Russian army has launched a two-pronged offensive from Kharkov and Zaporozhya provinces aimed at cutting off the Ukrainians in the Donbass

https://t.iss.one/Sladkov_plus/5277

🇷🇺 Additional sources indicating that the Russian army is advancing into rural Zaporozhya, west and east of Hulyaipole. Heavy artillery barrage on Ukrainian positions reported.

🚩 Soviet flag over Mariupol

⚡🇷🇺 Breaking: Ukrainian officials now announcing that Kremennaya has been captured by the Russian army

🇷🇺 Rumors that the Russian army will begin advancing into Severodonetsk today

🚩 Multiple local sources now corroborating that the Russians have captured Kremennaya. Some speak of the Russians continuing their advance in other directions

🇺🇦 Ukrainian military authorities in Zaporozhya province corroborate that a large artillery barrage has taken place along the entire front and that combat is underway in many sectors.

⚡ As of the morning of 18 April 2022, the Russian Army appears to be advancing in many directions in Ukraine after resuming offensive operations:

🚩 Lugansk province:
The town of Kremennaya has been captured, and units are expected to advance into Severodonetsk. Gains have also been made in Popasnaya.

🚩 Kharkov province:
The Russian Army has begun moving out of the Izyum bridgehead in three directions (west, southwest, and south) towards Barvinkovo.

🚩 Zaporozhya province:
The Russian Army has begun moving northwards. Advances have been noted west and east of Hulyaipole, and combat is reported across the entire front.

Map of villages captured by the Russian army east of Hulyaipole (by Akim Apachev)

We continue to receive more and more information indicating that the Russian army has gone on the offensive in Zaporozhya and Kharkov as we predicted yesterday.

Soviet Victory Day being celebrated in Energodar

Number of civilians at Azot plant in Severodonetsk may be up to 1200 persons

- Vitaly Kiselëv, Assistant Minister of Internal Affairs, Lugansk Republic

Electricity briefly returns to central Mariupol

🇺🇦 19-year old Olha, Ukrainian 105th Brigade (Ternopil)