MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. Ukraine lost more than 280 troops in the Kursk area over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The enemy has lost a total of more than 37,935 servicemen since the start of the hostilities.

In a ruling in absentia, a court ordered that US national Derrick Bales be taken into custody on charges of carring out a terrorist attack in the Kursk Region and mercenarism, the Russian Investigative Committee told TASS.

TASS has put together the key facts about the situation.

Progress of operation to eliminate Ukrainian military formations

- Units of the battlegroup North struck Ukrainian military formations in the areas of the settlements of Viktorovka, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolsky, Novoivanovka, Plekhovo, Pravda and Sverdlikovo.

- Strikes by tactical and army aviation and artillery fire hit enemy manpower and equipment in the Kursk and Sumy regions.

- The operation to destroy Ukrainian formations continues.

Ukrainian losses

- Over the past day, Ukraine lost more than 280 servicemen. Destroyed were a tank, two armored fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, an electronic warfare station and two mortars.

- Since the beginning of hostilities in the Kursk Region, the enemy has lost more than 37,935 troops, 229 tanks, 165 infantry fighting vehicles, 123 armored personnel carriers, 1,225 armored fighting vehicles, 1,082 motor vehicles, 308 artillery units, 40 multiple launch rocket systems, including 11 HIMARS and six US-made MLRS, and 13 launchers of anti-aircraft systems.

Arrests in absentia

- Russia's Investigative Committee said it had wrapped up an investigation against US mercenary Derrick Bales on charges of carrying out terrorist attack in the Kursk Region and mercenarism.

- According to the agency, a court passed a ruling in absentia to take him into custody. He was put on an international wanted-persons list.

- German national Nicholas Simon Connolly was arrested in absentia on charges of illegally crossing the Russian state border to film a report in the Sudzha District of the Kursk Region, the joint press service of the Kursk Region's judicial system said.

- Connolly was put on a federal and international wanted-persons list.