MOSCOW, July 16. /TASS/. Russian air defense forces shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29 and one Su-25 fighter jets in the Nikolayev Region, as well as a Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters in the vicinity of the Velikaya Novosyolka and Seversk over the past 24 hours, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Saturday.
"In the past 24 hours, Russian air defense capabilities shot down three Ukrainian fighter jets - two MiG-29s in the vicinity of the Novopavlovka and Vladimirodka Districts of Donetsk, as well as one Su-25 combat jet over the territory of Seversk," he said.
The military official added that the Russian Aerospace Force also downed a Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters in the vicinity of the Velikaya Novosyolka and Seversk in the past 24 hours.
Konashenkov aslo said that the Russian Aerospace Forces delivered strikes by smart weapons to destroy four Ukrainian command posts and communications nodes in the past 24 hours.
"Precision weapons of the Russian Aerospace Forces eliminated four command posts of Ukraine’s 80th Airborne Assault Brigade, in the vicinity of DPR’s Serebryanka location, and of the 3rd tank brigade in the area of Novopokrovka, in the Kharkov Region," he said.
"… the forces also destroyed an arms depot in the DPR’s district of Konstantinovka and also inflicted damages to the Ukrainian military’s manpower and hardware in 25 various districts across the region," the military official added.
The situation at the line of engagement in Donbass escalated on February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) reported the most massive bombardments by the Ukrainian military in recent months, which damaged civilian infrastructure and caused civilian casualties.
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Russia recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as of the beginning of 2014.
Russian President Putin announced on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, noting that the operation was aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine.
The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.