MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/. The Russian Armed Forces hit a base of foreign mercenaries in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday.

"A temporary base of foreign mercenaries was hit near Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic," he specified.

According to Konashenkov, operational-tactical aircraft, missile troops and artillery struck a temporary deployment site of the Ukrainian armed forces’ 14th mechanized brigade near Kupyansk in the Kharkov Region, as well as 53 artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 89 areas.

Russian assault teams and artillery units scattered Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman notes.

"Russian forces continued to advance in the Donetsk direction, taking strategic positions. Ukrainian troops tried in vain to counterattack the Russian forces near Bakhmutskoye and Opytnoe in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Artillery units and assault teams stopped enemy forces and scattered them," Konashenkov noted, adding that over 30 Ukrainian troops had been killed and seven vehicles had been destroyed.

The Russian Armed Forces killed up to 35 Ukrainian troops south of Donetsk in the past 24 hours, Konashenkov added.

"Up to 35 Ukrainian troops were killed and two armored personnel carriers were destroyed as a result of the activities of Russian forces and artillery attacks south of Donetsk," he said.

Konashenkov added that two sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been eliminated near the Novomayorskoye and Shevchenko settlements in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

"In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian forces’ preemptive actions caused combined damage to the enemy’s reserves near Kolodezi in the Donetsk People’s Republic," he added.

Konashenkov added that the Ukrainian armed forces had suffered up to 30 casualties and two armed combat vehicles and two pickup trucks had been destroyed.

High-precision weapons strikes on Ukranian military facilities

The Russian Armed Forces on Friday used high-precision weapons to strike Ukrainian military command systems, defense industry facilities and related energy sites, Konashenkov said.

"On Friday, December 16, a massive attack was carried out on Ukrainian military command systems, defense industry facilities and related energy sites, which involved long-range air-and sea-launched high-precision weapons," Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman pointed, adding that all the targets had been hit.

Russian army thwarts Ukraine’s attempt to transfer foreign weapons to combat zone

Russia’s Armed Forces have foiled Ukraine’s attempt to transfer foreign-made weapons and munitions to the combat zone, and blocked the advance of the Ukrainian military’s reserves, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman noted.

"The strike has disrupted the redeployment of foreign-made weapons and munitions, blocked the advance of reserves to combat areas, and halted Ukraine’s defense industry enterprises manufacturing and repairing weapons, military equipment and ammunition," Konashenkov said.

Russian air defenses intercept seven Uragan, HIMARS rockets

"Three Uragan rockets were intercepted near the Tokmak settlement in the Zaporozhye Region and four HIMARS rockets were intercepted near the Rozovka and Baranikovka settlements in the Lugansk People’s Republic," Konashenkov specified.

He also said that two Ukrainian drones had been downed near the Zaliman settlement in the Lugansk People’s Republic.

Russian forces hit Ukrainian army units in Kupyansk area

The Russian Armed Forces inflicted damage by firepower on Ukrainian army units in the Kupyansk area, eliminating up to 40 Ukrainian servicemen, Konashenkov said.

"In the Kupyansk direction, damage by firepower was inflicted on Ukrainian army units near Petropavlovka and Timkovka in the Kharkov Region. Up to 40 Ukrainian servicemen, a combat armored vehicle and four motor vehicles were destroyed," he told a briefing on the special military operation.

Ukrainian air defenses waste substantial resource on Russian decoys

The air defense system of the Ukrainian armed forces has wasted an enormous resource on decoys launched by the Russian Armed Forces during their missile strikes on December 16, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman notes.

"When the attack was repelled by Ukrainian and Western air defense systems, a substantial resource was spent on intentionally launched decoys, which [helped to] expose and destroy four radar stations of the Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems near Andrusovka, Pridneprovskoye in the Dnepropetrovsk Region, as well as near Novotavricheskaya and Nikolay-Pole in the Zaporozhye Region," he said.

Konashenkov added that unprofessional actions of the Ukrainian air defense crews had caused damage to civilian infrastructure on the ground.