GENICHESK, July 19. /TASS/. Russian artillery destroyed over 40 Ukrainian troops in their night attempt to land near the Antonovka Bridge in the Kherson area, a spokesman for the regional emergency services said on Wednesday.

"Servicemen of the Dnepr battlegroup promptly reacted to an enemy attempt to land on our coast: reconnaissance timely detected and artillery instantly delivered powerful strikes. Over 40 Ukrainian militants were destroyed," the spokesman said.

Russian forces also destroyed three Ukrainian 120mm mortars with their teams and ammunition near Kherson and Antonovka, a fuel lubricants depot in the settlement of Lvovo and a temporary deployment site of an enemy formation near Sadovoye. Ukrainian troops lost 35 soldiers killed while another 12 received wounds of varying severity, he said.

Russian forces also destroyed a D-30 howitzer with ammunition in the island zone near Kizomys and three Ukrainian fire emplacements near Dudchany, Chervony Mayak and Zmeyevka, the spokesman said.