Military expert, reserve colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Petro Chernyk drew attention to the fact that the Russian army did not achieve its goals in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
Kremlin suffered yet another failure in Ukraine
This is a very serious slap to him (Putin, — ed.) personally and to his propaganda machine, so the Russians need at least some success,’ Petro Chernyk stressed.
Petro Chernyk drew attention to the fact that the Russian army failed to achieve another important goal — to reach the administrative borders of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions before the so-called ‘inauguration’ of dictator Vladimir Putin (held on 7 May).
According to a Ukrainian army reserve colonel, the Russian dictator wants to demonstrate ‘his strength and his achievements’ before the peace summit to be held in early summer by launching a new offensive in the Kharkiv region.
The military expert also voiced the assumption that the attack of the Russian invaders on the Kharkiv region is part of the large enemy summer offensive that was warned about.
Petro Chernyk also analysed the enemy's anti-aircraft system. According to him, it cannot cope with Ukrainian drones.
This is another step in tightening the strategic stranglehold on the Russians‘ military-industrial complex,’ he added.
Losses of the Russian army as of May 18
During the day, the soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces managed to eliminate 1,210 Russian invaders, and the following equipment was destroyed:
tanks — 7,560 (+13) units;
armored combat vehicles — 14,595 (+43) units;
artillery systems — 12,639 (+36) units;
MRLS — 1,071 units;
air defence equipment — 801 (+1) units;
aircraft — 354 (+1) units;
helicopters — 326 units;
UAVs of the operational-tactical level — 10,108 (+35) units;
cruise missiles — 2,203 (+3) units;
ships/boats — 26 units;
submarines - 1 unit;
automotive equipment and tank trucks — 17,169 (+65) units;
special equipment — 2075 (+6) units
