MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. Ukrainian forces lost roughly 120 troops in the south Donetsk direction in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"In the south Donetsk direction, units of [Russia’s] Battlegroup East <…> liberated the settlement of Mirnoye in the Zaporozhye Region. Also, they repelled a counterattack by Ukraine’s 72nd mechanized brigade near the settlement of Vodyanoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)," the ministry said in a report. "The enemy lost over 120 troops and three cars there," the ministry added.

Donetsk direction

In the past day, units of Russia’s Battlegroup South improved their positions in the Donetsk direction, where the Ukrainians sustained roughly 200 casualties, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

Also, the enemy lost two armored vehicles and five cars, the ministry added.

Situation outside Belgorod

All enemy attacks and attempts to infiltrate Russian soil near Belgorod have been thwarted, the Defense Ministry said in a report.

According to it, roughly 65 Ukrainian militants, a Czech-supplied Vampire multiple rocket launcher and a D-20 howitzer were wiped out in Russian air, drone and artillery strikes.

Kherson direction

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr struck concentrations of Ukrainian manpower as well as equipment of four enemy brigades in the Kherson direction over the past 24 hours, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Ukrainian losses in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions exceeded 40 troops as the enemy also lost two cars, the ministry said.

Avdeyevka direction

Russian forces repelled nine attacks by Ukrainian assault teams in the Avdeyevka direction in the past day, with the enemy losing roughly 380 troops.

According to the report, Ukrainian losses also included two armored vehicles and 10 cars. Also, a US-supplied M777 artillery system, two D-20 howitzers, a Msta-B howitzer and two D-30 artillery mounts were hit in counter-battery fire in the past day.

Ukrainian unmanned motor boat, drone production sites hit

Russian operational-tactical aviation, artillery units and missile troops hit Ukrainian sites for assembling and testing unmanned motor boats and a temporary deployment site for the IRIS-T missile system outside Odessa as well as drone production sites in the Chernigov Region in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Ukrainian manpower and military equipment was struck in 127 areas, the ministry specified.

Kupyansk area

Russian forces repelled enemy counterattacks near Sinkovka near the Kupyansk sector of the line of engagement in the past day, with Ukrainians losing roughly 90 troops and six units of equipment, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Among other Ukrainian weapons, a US-supplied M777 artillery system and a British-made FH70 howitzer were hit in Russian counter-batter fire, the ministry said.

Number of downed drones

Russian air defense forces downed 168 Ukrainian drones as well as 23 multiple launch rockets in the past day.

"As many as 168 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, 23 Czech-supplied Vampire MLRS projectiles as well as a S-200 missile redesigned for attacks on ground targets were downed using air defense forces, electronic warfare systems and machine gun fire," the Defense Ministry said.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 577 Ukrainian warplanes, 269 helicopters, 15,849 unmanned aerial vehicles, 486 surface-to-air missile systems, 15,509 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,241 multiple rocket launchers, 8,434 field artillery guns and mortars and 19,875 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.