OPYTNOYE /DPR/, September 12. /TASS/. Ukrainian assault units have been suffering heavy losses as they have been unable to advance or gain a foothold in the village of Opytnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), despite their recent rhetoric, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"Servicemen of the 1st Army Corps of the Russian Armed Forces have been eliminating Ukrainian manpower and hardware while repelling attempts by Ukrainian assault units to break through or gain a foothold in the village of Opytnoye in the DPR. The Ukrainian assault units are suffering heavy losses, and, despite the statements they have been making, they cannot advance or gain a foothold in Opytnoye," the ministry said.
Russian forces have been using reconnaissance and unmanned aerial vehicles to track Ukrainian maneuvers, unleashing artillery fire on Ukrainian assault teams, the Russian top brass specified. "Units of the 1st Army Corps have been rebuffing attacks by Ukrainian militants as they keep the locality under control," the Defense Ministry added.
To confirm that, the ministry has released footage in which the sounds of artillery and armored vehicles in action can be heard.
Ukraine has lost 71,500 servicemen since the beginning of the counteroffensive which has yielded no results so far, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). According to the Russian leader, Kiev has already lost 543 tanks and almost 18,000 armored vehicles of various types.