February 18, 2026

Russian Ministry of Defense:  up to 1,235 Ukrainian casualties in the last day

Russian Defense Ministry

Russian Defence Ministry on progress of special military operation as of 18 February 2026

▫️ The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.

🚩 As a result of intensive actions, units of the Sever Group of Forces gained control over Kharkovka in Sumy region.

💥 The Group’s units inflicted losses on the formations of a mechanised brigade, an airmobile brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and a territorial defence brigade close to Novaya Sech, Volfino, Pisarevka, Bereza, and Miropolye in Sumy region.

🔥In Kharkov region, units of a mechanised brigade, a motorised infantry brigade, an artillery brigade of the AFU, a marine brigade, a territorial defence brigade, and a national guard brigade have been hit close to Veterinarnoye, Okhrimovka, Ternovaya, Kazachya Lopan, Kutuzovka, and Sredniy Burluk in Kharkov region.

▪️The AFU losses amounted to up to 210 troops, 23 motor vehicles, two artillery guns, one electronic warfare station, one ammunition depot, and three materiel depots.

📍The Zapad Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. Russian troops inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of an aeromobile brigade, two mechanised brigades of the AFU, and a national guard brigade near Petrovka, Novoosinovo, Kovsharovka, Gusinka, Lesnaya Stenka (Kharkov region), and Brusovka (Donetsk People’s Republic).

▪️The AFU losses amounted to up to 140 troops, one British-made Bulldog armoured personnel carrier, two Kazak armoured fighting vehicles, 17 motor vehicles, two artillery guns, including one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, and one Grad MLRS vehicle. One ammunition depot was destroyed.

▫️ The Yuzhnaya Group of Forces improved the tactical situation along the front line. Strikes were delivered at formations of four mechanised brigades, a motorised infantry brigade of the AFU, and a territorial defence brigade near Izhevka, Stenki, Reznikovka, Malinovka, Slavyansk, Vasyutinskoye, Artem, and Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

▪️The AFU losses amounted to more than 145 troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, six motor vehicles, and one artillery gun. Two electronic warfare stations, one materiel depot were eliminated.

📍The Tsentr Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. The Group’s units inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of six mechanised brigades, two jaeger brigades, an airmobile brigade, two assault regiments of the AFU, a marine brigade, four national guard brigades, and the Azov special forces brigade near Tarasovka, Lenina, Zolotoy Kolodez, Kucherov Yar, Sergeyevka, Grishino, Maryevka, Svetloye, Belitskoye (Donetsk People’s Republic), Novopavlovka, and Gavrilovka (Dnepropetrovsk region).

▪️The AFU losses amounted to up to 340 troops, one Finnish-made Pasi armoured personnel carrier, three armoured fighting vehicles, and nine motor vehicles.

The Vostok Group’s units continued to advance into the depths of the enemy’s defence and liberated Krinichnoye in Zaporozhye region.

💥 Strikes were delivered at formations of an assault brigade, two mechanised brigades, two air assault brigades, four assault regiments of the AFU, and a marine brigade close to Aleksandrovka, Pokrovskoye, Kolomiytsy in Dnepropetrovsk region, Rizdvyanka, Zelenaya Dibrova, Lyubitskoye, Rozovka, Gavrilovka, and Gorkoye in Zaporozhye region.

▪️The enemy lost up to 345 troops, one armoured personnel carrier, 12 motor vehicles, one Grad MLRS, and one materiel depot.

📍The Dnepr Group of Forces improved the tactical situation. The Group’s units inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of a mechanised brigade and a mountain assault brigade of the AFU near Lyubimovka, Grigorovka, and Orekhov in Zaporozhye region.

▪️Up to 55 troops, 16 motor vehicles, one ammunition depot, and two materiel depots have been neutralised.

✈️ Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack drones, missile troops and artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have hit a fuel depot, energy facilities used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, preparation and launch sites of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries in 141 areas.

▫️ Air defence systems shot down two guided aerial bombs, 11 HIMARS MLRS projectiles, and 155 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.

📊 In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the enemy has lost: 

▫️ 670 aircraft, 

▫️ 283 helicopters, 

▫️ 115,131 unmanned aerial vehicles, 

▫️ 650 anti-aircraft missile systems, 

▫️ 27,754 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 

▫️ 1,666 MLRS combat vehicles, 

▫️ 33,347 field artillery guns and mortars, 

▫️ 54,691 units of support military vehicles.

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Wilson Center

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