MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. Russian forces continued their offensive operations in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Thursday.
"In the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas, units of the eastern battlegroup continued offensive operations and inflicted damage on the enemy by firepower in areas near the settlements of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Pavlovka and Levadnoye in the Zaporozhye Region," the spokesman said.
The enemy’s losses in those areas in the past 24 hours amounted to 60 Ukrainian personnel, three armored combat vehicles and two pickup trucks, the general specified.
Russian artillery struck amassed manpower of two Ukrainian army brigades in the Kharkov Region and the Lugansk People’s Republic, eliminating over 20 enemy troops in the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Kupyansk area, artillery of the western battlegroup inflicted damage by firepower on amassed personnel of the Ukrainian army’s 14th and 92nd mechanized brigades in areas near the settlements of Sinkovka and Timkovka in the Kharkov Region and Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.
The strikes eliminated enemy manpower and equipment, the general said.
"Over 20 Ukrainian troops, an armored combat vehicle, a pickup truck and a D-20 howitzer were destroyed," Konashenkov reported.
Russian forces struck two Ukrainian army brigades in the Krasny Liman area, killing and wounding about 70 militants and destroying four American M777 howitzers over the past day, he said.
"In the Krasny Liman direction, operational-tactical, army aviation aircraft and artillery of the central battlegroup struck units of the Ukrainian army’s 25th airborne and 95th air assault brigades near the community of Yampolovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic and in the area of the Serebryansky forestry," the spokesman said.
The enemy lost as many as 70 personnel killed and wounded, two armored combat vehicles and four US-made M777 howitzers in that area over the past 24 hours, the general specified.
Russian forces gained more advantageous positions in their Donetsk advance, eliminating over 40 Ukrainian troops in the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Donetsk direction, units of the southern battlegroup took more advantageous frontiers and positions in their offensive operations. In the area of the settlement of Konstantinovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, a Ukrainian artillery ammunition depot was wiped out," the spokesman said.
In the past 24 hours, Russian forces destroyed over 40 Ukrainian troops, an infantry fighting vehicle, two Grad multiple rocket launchers, a US-made M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery gun, two D-20 and Giatsint-B howitzers, and also a US-manufactured AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radar in that area, the general specified.
Russian forces destroyed two US-made radar stations and four howitzers in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the Kherson area, three D-20 howitzers, a Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, and also two US-made AN/TPQ-37 and AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery radars were destroyed in the counter-battery warfare," the spokesman said.
Russian forces also destroyed four Ukrainian ammunition depots in areas near the settlements of Dudchany and Tokarevka in the Kherson Region and Chervonogrigorovka in the Dnepropetrovsk Region, the general added.
Russian fighter aircraft shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 ground attack plane in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 plane near the community of Andreyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.
Russian forces destroyed a radar of a Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile system in the Nikolayev Region over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the past 24 hours, operational-tactical aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 83 artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 119 areas. They destroyed a radar station of an S-300 surface-to-air missile system in the area of the city of Ochakov in the Nikolayev Region," the spokesman said.
Russian forces destroyed two Ukrainian army fuel storage sites and three artillery ammunition depots in the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Zaporozhye Region over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"In the areas of the communities of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Chervonoye and Kantserovka in the Zaporozhye Region, two sites storing fuel for military equipment and three artillery ammunition depots of the Ukrainian army were destroyed," the spokesman said.
Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian Su-25 ground attack plane near Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.
"Russian air defense capabilities shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 aircraft near the community of Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They also destroyed eight Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Kremennaya, Zhitlovka and Novokrasnyanka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Nikolskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Novoprokopovka and Dorozhnyanka in the Zaporozhye Region," the spokesman said.
In the past 24 hours, Russian air defense systems intercepted seven Olkha, Uragan and HIMARS rockets near the communities of Kremennaya in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Kuibyshevo and Valeryanovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Novouspenovka in the Zaporozhye Region and Chaplinka in the Kherson Region, the general said.
In addition, a US HARM anti-radiation missile was shot down near the community of Kostogryzovo in the Kherson Region, Konashenkov reported.
In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 379 Ukrainian warplanes, 204 helicopters, 2,956 unmanned aerial vehicles, 402 surface-to-air missile systems, 7,634 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 990 multiple rocket launchers, 3,921 field artillery guns and mortars and 8,180 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the general specified.