MOSCOW, January 1. /TASS/. The Ukrainian army lost over 40 troops in the Zaporozhye area in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"In the Zaporozhye area, Russian forces hit strongholds of the 65th and 118th mechanized brigades, the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade and the 82nd Air Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces near Rabotino and Novodanilovka in the Zaporozhye Region. The Ukrainian army lost over 40 troops, three motor vehicles and a Msta-B howitzer in the area," the statement reads.