MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. Russian air defense forces intercepted 16 rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and shot down 21 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Tuesday.

"In the past 24 hours, air defense capabilities intercepted 16 rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system," the spokesman said.

In addition, Russian air defense systems "destroyed 21 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Zaliman in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Novoandreyevka, Spornoye, Berestovoye, Kremenets and Volnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Michurina, Balochki and Konskiye Razdory in the Zaporozhye Region, Staraya Zburyevka, Radensk and Novaya Kakhovka in the Kherson Region," the general reported.

Ukraine’s military attempts attacks in five directions over past day

The Ukrainian army attempted attacks in five directions over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"During the last 24-hour period, Ukrainian armed formations continued attempts to advance in the Donetsk, south Donetsk, Zaporozhye, Kupyansk and Krasny Liman directions," the spokesman said.

Russian forces advance further in Kupyansk area over past day

Russian assault teams kept advancing and taking advantageous sites in the Kupyansk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Kupyansk direction, assault groups of the western battlegroup continued advancing and taking more advantageous positions near the settlement of Kuzyomovka in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

The battlegroup’s assault aircraft and artillery inflicted damage on eight amassments of Ukrainian manpower and military hardware in areas near the settlements of Novomlynsk, Timkovka, Kislovka, Kotlyarovka and Berestovoye in the Kharkov Region and Novosyolovskoye in the Lugansk People’s Republic, the spokesman said.

Russian forces eliminate 120 Ukrainian troops in Kupyansk area over past day

Russian forces eliminated roughly 120 Ukrainian troops in the Kupyansk area over the past day Konashenkov reported.

"The enemy’s losses totaled as many as 120 Ukrainian personnel, an armored combat vehicle, three motor vehicles, a Gvozdika motorized artillery system and a D-30 howitzer," the spokesman said.

Near the settlement of Kislovka in the Kharkov Region, Russian forces destroyed an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 103rd territorial defense brigade, he said.

"In addition, in the Popov Forest belt of the Svatovo district in the Lugansk People’s Republic, two attacks by units of the Ukrainian army’s 25th air assault brigade were successfully repelled," the general added.

Russian forces cripple Ukrainian army’s counter-battery radar in Kharkov Region

Russian forces wiped out a Zoopark-3 counter-battery radar station of the Ukrainian army in the Kharkov Region over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Near the settlement of Stetskovka in the Kharkov Region, a Zoopark-3 counter-battery radar station was destroyed," the spokesman said.

Russian forces repel three Ukrainian attacks in Krasny Liman area over past day

Russian units of the battlegroup Center, army aircraft and artillery successfully repelled three Ukrainian army attacks near the settlements of Raigorodka, Nevskoye and Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Near the settlement of Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic, a Ukrainian subversive/reconnaissance group was neutralized. In addition, damage by combined firepower was inflicted on the units of the Ukrainian army’s 21st, 63rd and 66th mechanized brigades near the settlements of Sergeyevka in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Druzhelyubovka in the Kharkov Region, Torskoye and Serebryanka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the general said.

Russian forces destroyed over 75 Ukrainian troops, three armored combat vehicles, two pickup trucks, D-20 and D-30 howitzers and two Gvozdika motorized artillery systems in that direction in the past 24 hours, the spokesman said.

Russian forces repel eight Ukrainian army attacks in Donetsk area over past day

Russian forces repelled eight Ukrainian army attacks in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Donetsk direction, eight enemy attacks were successfully repelled by well-coordinated actions of defending units in interaction with aircraft and artillery of the southern battlegroup in areas near the settlements of Belogorovka, Berestovoye, Severnoye, Maryinka and Zaitsevo in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroy over 345 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk area over past day

Russian forces destroyed over 345 Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk area in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"The enemy’s losses in that [Donetsk] direction in the past 24 hours amounted to over 345 Ukrainian personnel, a tank, six infantry fighting vehicles, four motor vehicles, a Grad multiple rocket launcher, five Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery systems, and also five field artillery guns, including a US-manufactured M777 artillery system," the spokesman said.

Russian forces inflicted damage on Ukrainian army units in areas near the settlements of Seversk, Predtechino, Sukhaya Balka, Lastochkino and Georgiyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the general specified.

Near the settlement of Novgorodskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Russian forces obliterated two ammunition and artillery armament depots of the Ukrainian army’s 24th mechanized brigade, the spokesman said.

Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian ammo depot in DPR over past day

Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian ammunition depot in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Near the settlement of Razdolnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian army’s 38th marine infantry brigade was destroyed," the spokesman said.

Russian forces neutralize Ukrainian subversive group in DPR over past day

Russian forces neutralized a Ukrainian subversive group in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Near the settlement of Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the activity of a Ukrainian subversive/reconnaissance group was thwarted," the spokesman said.

Russian forces repel two Ukrainian attacks in DPR, Zaporozhye area over past day

Russian forces repelled two Ukrainian army attacks in the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Zaporozhye area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Two enemy attacks were repulsed by active operations of the battlegroup’s forces in areas near the settlements of Staromayorskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and Yablonevoye in the Zaporozhye Region," the spokesman said.

In the south Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, aircraft, artillery and heavy flamethrower systems of Russia’s battlegroup East inflicted damage on Ukrainian manpower and military hardware in areas near the settlements of Prechistovka and Makarovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Malaya Tokmachka and Novoandreyevka in the Zaporozhye Region, the general reported.

Russian forces eliminate over 220 Ukrainian troops in south Donetsk, Zaporozhye areas

Russian forces eliminated over 220 Ukrainian troops in the south Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"The enemy’s losses in those directions in the past 24 hours amounted to over 220 Ukrainian personnel, two tanks, six infantry fighting vehicles, including a US-made Bradley, two motor vehicles, a Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery system, an Akatsiya motorized howitzer and a Giatsint-B gun," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroy 40 Ukrainian troops in Kherson area over past day

Russian forces destroyed roughly 40 Ukrainian troops and two artillery guns in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"As many as 40 Ukrainian personnel, three motor vehicles, an Akatsiya motorized artillery system and an Msta-B howitzer were destroyed in the Kherson direction in the past 24 hours as a result of damage inflicted by firepower," the spokesman said.

During the last 24-hour period, operational/tactical and army aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groupings of forces struck 103 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military hardware in 124 areas, the general reported.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 458 Ukrainian warplanes, 245 combat helicopters, 5,402 unmanned aerial vehicles, 427 surface-to-air missile systems, 11,067 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,141 multiple rocket launchers, 5,699 field artillery guns and mortars and 12,003 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.

Near the settlement of Novgorodskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Russian forces obliterated two ammunition and artillery armament depots of the Ukrainian army’s 24th mechanized brigade, the spokesman said.