General Staff: Ukrainian forces repel over 80 Russian attacks

Ukrainian forces repelled 83 Russian attacks on March 18, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported.

According to the General Staff, Russian forces are focused on trying to capture the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Russian troops conducted offensives near Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka, and Shakhtarsk.

Russian efforts were centered on Bakhmut.

Russian troops launched 11 missile attacks, four of which were targeted at civilian infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia. Russian forces also conducted 16 airstrikes and 99 attacks from Multiple Launch Rocket Systems.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Air Force reportedly conducted 10 strikes on concentrations of Russian troops and downed an Iranian-made Shahed-136. Ukrainian forces struck seven concentrations of Russian troops and military equipment.

On March 17, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, said Russia has used all its forces in Bakhmut in an effort to completely surround the city.

Fighting is going on to the north, east, and south of Bakhmut, Syrskyi said. Russia's troops are suffering heavy casualties and, in some cases, retreating without making any significant gains.

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