The Russian army in the Donetsk direction repelled six attacks by Kiev regime forces, eliminating more than 240 Ukrainian soldiers and destroying four pieces of Ukrainian military hardware over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
"Total enemy losses in this direction amounted to more than 240 soldiers killed and wounded, a tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, two vehicles, as well as an Msta-B howitzer," the ministry said.
In the South Donetsk direction, Russia eliminated up to 145 Ukrainian soldiers, two vehicles and a Polish-made Krab self-propelled tracked gun-howitzer, the ministry said. In the Kupyansk and Krasnyi Lyman directions Russia hit Ukrainian forces near the settlements of Petropavlovka, Synkovka, Ivanovka, Berestovoye and Stelmakhovka, eliminating about 100 soldiers, an armored vehicle and two vehicles, the ministry said.
In the Zaporozhye direction, Russian forces eliminated more than 100 Ukrainian soldiers, three armored vehicles, 11 cars and a D-30 howitzer, the ministry said. In the Kherson direction, Kiev lost up to 20 soldiers, two vehicles, an Msta-B howitzer and a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery unit, the ministry said.
Since the start of the armed crisis in Ukraine in 2014, the outskirts of Donetsk have been a battleground, while the southern Donetsk region has recently become the epicenter of the conflict due to Kiev's attempts to cross the border between the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Zaporozhye region.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive began on June 4, 2023. Kiev has deployed brigades trained by NATO instructors and armed with Western equipment, including Leopard and Challenger tanks. In early October, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Kiev's push had failed, with Ukraine estimated to have suffered more than 90,000 casualties.