GENICHESK, July 7. /TASS/. Russian forces eliminated a Ukrainian sniper pair, a motorized artillery system and two 120mm mortars in the Kherson area over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, a spokesman for the regional emergency services reported on Friday.

"The following targets were destroyed as a result of damage inflicted by units of the Dnepr battlegroup in the Kherson direction: two 120mm mortar teams and ammunition (nine Ukrainian soldiers were killed and another five sustained wounds of varying severity), a 2S3 Akatsiya motorized artillery system with its five-member crew and ammunition, a sniper pair from the Ukrainian army’s special operation forces," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroyed the Akatsiya motorized artillery system in the area of the settlement of Priozyornoye near Kherson at 1:30 p.m. Moscow time on July 6, he specified.

"Thanks to the skilled actions by a reconnaissance/strike team from one of the units of the Dnepr battlegroup, the Ukrainian army’s 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system was wiped out despite the impact of the enemy’s electronic warfare," the spokesman added.

Russian forces also eliminated a Ukrainian D-30 howitzer with ammunition in the island zone and destroyed a temporary deployment site of the Ukrainian army near the settlement of Krasny Mayak and an enemy fire emplacement near the community of Kachkarovka in the Kakhovka direction, the spokesman said.