LUGANSK, December 22. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces are forming strike groups in the Kupyansk direction, reinforcing them with armored vehicles and artillery, Andrey Marochko, an officer of the People's Militia of the Lugansk People's Republic, told TASS on Thursday.

"The enemy is forming strike groups in the Kupyansk direction. The formation of battalion tactical groups reinforced with armored vehicles and artillery has been recorded in the area of the Kupyansk settlement," he said, citing the data received from the LPR intelligence.

According to him, the units are camouflaged and dispersed in different places to minimize losses during Russian fire raids.

On Wednesday, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said that Russian forces destroyed up to 60 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored personnel carriers and three Ukrainian pickup trucks in the Kupyansk direction.