MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. Russian forces liberated the community of Lastochkino in the Avdeyevka area over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.
"In the Avdeyevka direction, units of the Battlegroup Center liberated the settlement of Lastochkino," the ministry said in a statement.
Russian forces improve frontline positions near Avdeyevka in DPR over past day
Russian forces improved their frontline positions near Avdeyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and repelled six Ukrainian army counterattacks, eliminating roughly 410 enemy troops over the past day, the ministry reported.
"In the Avdeyevka direction, Russian troops continued improving their forward edge positions. They inflicted damage on massed manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 144th infantry, 59th motorized infantry and 23rd mechanized brigades near the settlements of Umanskoye, Netailovo and Ocheretino in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
Russian forces also repulsed six counterattacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 53rd and 61st mechanized, 59th motorized infantry and 3rd assault brigades near Severnoye, Pervomaiskoye and Petrovskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic and two attacks by units of the enemy’s 24th mechanized and 71st jaeger brigades near Leninskoye and Novobakhmutovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, it added.
"The enemy lost as many as 410 personnel, a tank, three infantry fighting vehicles, four armored combat vehicles, 20 motor vehicles and a D-30 howitzer," the ministry said.
Russian forces destroy 145 Ukrainian troops in Kupyansk area over past day
Russian forces destroyed roughly 145 Ukrainian troops and 7 pieces of enemy equipment in the Kupyansk area over the past day, the ministry reported.
"In the Kupyansk direction, units of the Battlegroup West inflicted damage by firepower on massed manpower and equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 141st infantry brigade near the settlement of Peschanoye in the Kharkov Region. They repulsed seven attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 32nd mechanized and 57th motorized infantry brigades near the settlement of Sinkovka in the Kharkov Region and two counterattacks by the enemy’s 60th mechanized brigade near the settlement of Terny in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost as many as 145 personnel, a tank, three motor vehicles, a US-made M777 howitzer and two Gvozdika motorized artillery systems in the Kupyansk direction over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russian forces eliminate over 420 Ukrainian troops in Donetsk area over past day
Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units in the Donetsk area, eliminating more than 420 enemy troops and two armored vehicles over the past day, the ministry reported.
"In the Donetsk direction, units of the Southern Battlegroup took more advantageous sites and positions and inflicted damage on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 28th mechanized, 92nd assault and 241st territorial defense brigades near the settlements of Kurdyumovka, Andreyevka and Krasnoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Near the settlement of Novomikhailovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, they repelled three attacks by assault groups of the Ukrainian army’s 79th air assault brigade," the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army lost over 420 personnel, two armored personnel carriers, four motor vehicles, a US-made M777 artillery system and a counter-battery radar station in the Donetsk area over the past 24 hours, it specified.
Russian forces eliminate 150 Ukrainian troops in south Donetsk area over past day
Russian forces struck Ukrainian army units in the south Donetsk area, eliminating roughly 150 enemy troops over the past day, the ministry reported.
"In the south Donetsk direction, units of the Battlegroup East gained more advantageous sites and positions and inflicted damage by firepower on formations of the Ukrainian army’s 128th territorial defense brigade near the settlements of Vodyanoye, Urozhainoye and Staromayorskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. In addition, they repulsed two attacks by assault groups of the 102nd territorial defense brigade near the settlement of Marfopol in the Zaporozhye Region," the ministry said.
The Ukrainian army’s losses in the south Donetsk area over the past 24 hours amounted to 150 personnel, three armored combat vehicles, four motor vehicles and an electronic warfare station, it specified.
Russian forces destroy 50 Ukrainian troops in Kherson area over past day
Russian forces destroyed roughly 50 Ukrainian troops in the Kherson area over the past day, the ministry reported.
"In the Kherson direction, the Ukrainian army’s losses amounted to 50 personnel, a tank, two armored combat vehicles, nine motor vehicles, a D-20 howitzer and a Grad multiple rocket launcher," the ministry said.
In the Kherson direction, units of Russia’s Dnepr Battlegroup conducted active operations and inflicted damage by firepower on amassments of manpower and military equipment of the Ukrainian army’s 44th airmobile and 65th mechanized brigades and 15th National Guard brigade near the settlements of Orekhov and Malaya Tokmachka in the Zaporozhye Region. In addition, they repelled an attack by an assault group of the Ukrainian army’s 118th mechanized brigade near the settlement of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye Region, it said.
Russian air defenses down 2 Storm Shadow cruise missiles, 5 HIMARS rockets over past day
Russian air defense forces shot down two Storm Shadow cruise missiles and five rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and destroyed more than 60 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day, the ministry reported.
"Air defense capabilities shot down two Storm Shadow cruise missiles and five rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system. In addition, they destroyed 62 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular, near the settlements of Novokrasnyanka and Lisichansk in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Kopani in the Zaporozhye Region and Gladovka in the Kherson Region," the ministry said.
Russian forces wipe out Norwegian surface-to-air missile system in Ukraine operation
Russian forces destroyed a Norwegian NASAMS surface-to-air missile system of the Ukrainian army over the past day, the ministry reported.
"Operational-tactical aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groupings of forces destroyed a Norwegian-made NASAMS surface-to-air missile system and struck Ukrainian manpower and military hardware in 107 areas," the ministry said.
In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 574 Ukrainian warplanes, 267 helicopters, 13,454 unmanned aerial vehicles, 474 surface-to-air missile systems, 15,237 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,226 multiple rocket launchers, 8,167 field artillery guns and mortars and 19,095 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.